


Enter My Heart and Call It a Home

by Bittodeath



Series: Crack ships and rare ships [39]
Category: Haikyuu!!, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: (kind of - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Anal Fingering, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Animagus, Auror Harry Potter, Blow Jobs, Blushing, Complete, Crack Relationships, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Daishou Suguru/Sirius Black, Dark Magic, Double Date, Draught of Living Death, Drinking & Talking, First Kiss, First Time, Friendship, Getting Together, Grimmauld Place, Guilt, Harry Potter Epilogue Compliant, Harry Potter Next Generation, Hogsmeade, Hogwarts, Horcruxes, Hufflepuff, Humor, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Love, Mental Breakdown, Minor Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Muggleborn Kyoutani, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Patronus, Post-Canon, Potions, Powerful Kyoutani Kentarou, Rare Pairings, Ravenclaw, Sirius Black Lives, Slow Burn, Smut, Soul Bond, Survivor Guilt, Tags added as I update, Werewolves, Wizards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-17 19:36:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14837898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bittodeath/pseuds/Bittodeath
Summary: Kyoutani Kentarou, 21, works in a zoo. His life would be pretty typical if not for the strange things happening around him - the flying objects, for example. And everything goes down the night he picks up a small dog shivering in the rain - that turns out to not be a dog, but a wizard with a strange message.You're a wizard, too.-Or, 21 years after the Battle of Hogwarts, the wizarding world still feels its effects.





	1. The Pomeranian

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's a rarepair but I'll hope you'll give it a chance! The story is already completely written, updates will be on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.  
> Tags will be added as I update the fic!

Kyoutani was walking back home through the damp streets of London, his hands deep in the pockets of his coat. It wasn’t raining yet, but it was only a matter of time. The sky was grey, heavy on his head, and he hurried, burying his head in the collar of his coat. His eye caught a movement as he crossed a backstreet and he stopped, peering through the not-so-clear air. He heard a slight noise and stepped forward: a dog was growling and barking at something hidden under garbage. Kyoutani walked faster and the dog hurried away, letting him push aside the empty card-boxes and other stuff to find a small, drenched dog curled up on himself and sleeping tightly, seemingly of exhaustion.

“Poor thing”, Kyoutani murmured, “I can’t leave you here.”

He opened the top of his coat, picked up the dog that almost fit in his hands and tucked it against his chest. It was shivering and smelled badly, and was probably hungry. He checked briefly for a collar but found none, before resuming his walk back home.

He was unlocking the door to his apartment when the dog woke up, disorientated and yapping angrily.

“Calm down buddy”, he said, his voice not as gruff as it usually was, “you’re safe with me.”

He took off his shoes as he entered, discarded his coat and rolled up his sleeves before putting down the dog in his sink. The animal was looking at him curiously, growling and showing its teeth. He poured warm water on the other side of the sink before putting the dog in and carefully washing its long, tangled, muddy fur. The dog quieted down, his trembling stopping as he warmed up, and Kyoutani wrapped him up in a towel. Once clean and dried, the small dog looked really cute. It was a Pomeranian with long, dark fur that he would need to brush later. He gently scratched it behind its ears before putting it down on the floor.

“I’ll give you something to eat”, he said, taking out what was left of the meat he had eaten the day before, warming it up and cutting it to small pieces in a plate. He filled a bowl with clear water and put it besides the plate, before spreading newspapers in a corner of the room.

“No poo elsewhere”, he said, pointing to the newspaper, “okay?”

The dog stared at him and for a moment he had the feeling at was telling him “are you stupid?”. He then went off to take a shower, putting on an old pair of sweatpants and warm socks before he prepared himself some dinner. The dog was curled up next to the couch, staring at him while he ate, and did not stop watching him when he washed the dishes.

“You know staring like that is a bit creepy”, he said, turning to the dog.

It yelped and he cursed as he turned back to the sink and found his sponge scrubbing his plate dutifully.

“I hate it when it does that”, he grumbled, before he slumped on the couch.

The dog was still staring and he patted the couch next to him.

“C’mon little guy”, he said, extending his hand towards the TV’s remote control, which floated through the room and into his hand.

The dog managed to jump on the couch at the third attempt and sniffed his hand, and he would have sworn there was an intelligent gleam in those dark eyes. A bit later he turned down the TV, yawned and went to bed. He distinctively heard the dog running after him and watched it settle in a corner of his bedroom. A few moments after, he was sleeping.

*

Kuroo waited until he was sure the Muggle was sleeping tightly before turning back into a human. He hated how helpless his Animagus form was, but at least he was somewhere warm thanks to it. His robes were clean though torn, and his hair as hopeless as ever.

“ _Muffliato_ ”, he murmured, towering over the Muggle.

But was he really a Muggle? He had distinctively seen him using magic. A Muggle-born wizard, then? But why would he be living like a Muggle, then? It made no sense. The only thing he knew was that if the guy was a wizard, then he had to hurry out of there before he was discovered as being an Animagus.

“ _Accio wand_ ”, he then said, extending his hand, his own clasped tightly into his fist.

But no wand came flying into his hand. Now that was getting weird. He walked out of the bedroom and through the small apartment. There was no sign of anything magic there. There were… what did Muggles call these? _Plugs?_ Plugs, he decided, walking around. And no chimney, thus no Floo network connection. So not a wizard. _But he used magic._ Were there untrained wizards in England? He couldn’t remember. He _should_ have payed attention to his History courses. Well, Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts had been way more fascinating.

His eyes fell on the “fridge” and the idea of food – more food – made his stomach grumble. He opened it, took out food and quickly set to a meal that he practically inhaled. Then he searched again, opening drawers and locked doors, and finding nothing, _nothing_ that could suggest a wizard was living here. Once he was sure there was nothing to fear from him, he pulled a vial from his robes, hanging from around his neck, and clasped it tightly in his hand. He was going to find a way to make up for what he did, and no one would stop him. He only needed a place to settle and make experiments, now that his own house had been taken over by the Ministry of Magic.

He put the vial back, returned to the bedroom and changed back to his Pomeranian form. He struggled a bit but finally managed to climb into the Muggle’s bed. There was no way a Muggle slept in a bed while he slept on the floor.

*

Kyoutani woke up to small bundle of warmth against his stomach, slightly surprised at first. Then he smiled: the little dog had climbed in bed with him and was sleeping peacefully against him. He lightly scratched its head, which woke him up.

“We’ll need to find you a name”, he rasped sleepily. “A cute name because you are a cute doggy.”

The Pomeranian didn’t seem too happy at this perspective, nuzzling his open palm.

“Alright, what about Caramel?” he asked, and the mighty beast lightly bit his finger. “That’s a no then. Spooky? No again? Bagel? Pancake? So you don’t like food, then. Black? A bit simple, isn’t it?” He thought for a moment. “I know! Kuro!” He seized the small dog and held it above him. “Kuro it’ll be, it fits you!”

Kuro seemed to be looking at him in disbelief, and he laughed quietly. Kyoutani finally got out of bed and went to the kitchen, where he gave food to Kuro who had followed him, before going to the bathroom and dress for work.

“You’ll be coming with me”, he said. “I work at the local zoo.”

He took a backpack out before cooking breakfast. Soon enough, he had put Kuro in the backpack before going down the street to buy a red harness and a leash for him, before walking to the bus stop that would stop not far from the zoo. Kuro was surprisingly calm in his back, but he supposed it was a nice thing. Probably these small dogs were easily tired. That was a good thing, he didn’t have time to take him for long walks. His job wasn’t the most interesting thing ever, but he got to be near animals.

“You know”, he said to Kuro, “when I was a kid I wanted to work in natural reserves in the States. I don’t think I can actually do that, but I’m saving money to go to University and learn how to take care of animals to become a caretaker here.”

“Who the hell are you talking to, Kentarou?” one of the caretakers asked – it was Yahaba, always meddling with things he shouldn’t have.  
“He’s cracked up, Shigeru”, Daishou laughed, and Kyoutani glared at him.  
“Ignore them”, he said to Kuro, ignoring them himself.  
“C’mon Ken, we’re just teasing! Show us what you’ve got… Oh my, Shigeru, look at how cute it is!”  
“Keep your filthy reptile-lover hands away from Kuro”, Kyoutani growled as the small dog smelled Daishou’s hand that was petting him.

He didn’t seem to like what he smelled, because his small pointy teeth closed on Daishou’s hand, making him yelp.

“Son of- He bit me!” he cried out, showing off his punctured hand.  
“That’s because you’re an ass”, Kyoutani retorted. “Kuro is an angel.”  
“Is he now?” Yahaba said, carefully petting the dog, who growled in response. “Kentaro this beast is nowhere nice!” he replied, whining.

Kyoutani didn’t answer, gathering his things and setting to work. He cleaned up the alleys and made sure everything was ready to welcome clients, before taking a stroll around with Kuro. The small dog seemed to be fascinated with Daishou in the snake enclosure, where he was murmuring something to them. That made Kuro growl and Kyoutani walked away. Having the dog bark would break havoc there.

“I don’t like Suguru either”, Kyoutani said, “but he sure knows how to deal with snakes. I had never seen that before.”

He took Kuro from his backpack, keeping him in his arms, delighted to have the small ball of fur with him. He planted a kiss on Kuro’s head after making sure no one was around. He didn’t like it when people knew how soft he really was – he felt vulnerable. Animals, especially dogs, were trustworthy. Suddenly, Kuro started to bark, and Kyoutani turned around: for a reason he didn’t know, there was a penguin walking up to them.

“What the actual fuck”, he murmured, “come here”, he said, extending his hand towards the bird.

He jumped when the penguin wheezed through the air and right in his arms, almost making him drop Kuro.

“Shit”, he cursed, looking around, but no one seemed to have seen him.  
“I knew it”, a voice said.

Kyoutani turned, still holding the penguin and Kuro, now completely frightened. Kuroo could feel his heart rate grow crazy: Kyoutani was panicking. Daishou was standing there, grinning.

“You are a wizard too”, he said.

Kyoutani’s eyes widened.

“What? No! Wizards don’t exist!”

Daishou laughed loudly.

“You can stop hiding from me, Kentarou! Come on, between wizards!”

He extended a hand towards him and Kyoutani took a step back, the two animals held close to his heart. Even without magical powers, Kuroo could feel his fear. One thing was sure: Kyoutani had never heard of wizards, or else he wouldn’t have reacted in such a fashion. How he had escaped magical education was another question. What was worrying Kuroo, however, was that his fear might trigger a disaster. And Kyoutani seemed to be powerful. Very powerful and completely unpredictable.

Daishou didn’t seem to have caught on the same thing, as he stepped closer, growing impatient.

“Kentarou, you can stop pretending, now!”  
“Get away from me!” Kyoutani growled, Kuroo felt the strength of his spell, though unconscious.

Daishou stopped moving completely, unable to come any closer. He looked angry now, and he whipped out his wand from nowhere. Kuroo sighed. Even if he was on the run, he couldn’t let a wizard duel a novice. That went against his ethic. He jumped from Kyoutani’s arms, changed his form and pulled out his wand.

“Stand back”, he simply said.

Daishou effectively jumped back out of surprise, and Kyoutani imitated him. Now if the Muggle didn’t have a heart attack he would be lucky. 

“Who the hell are you?!” Daishou cried out.  
“It is none of your concern. You are frightening this Muggle-born, can’t you see?”  
“Why would Kentarou be afraid of a fellow wizard? He’s done nothing wrong!”  
“Get away now or I will have to use force”, Kuroo threatened.

Daishou only steadied his wand. _Too bad_ , Kuroo thought before snapping his wrist. Daishou collapsed when the Stunning spell hit him, and Kuroo turned to Kyoutani. The young man was deathly pale, clutching onto the penguin, eyes wide with fear. He seemed to be unable to move, but Kuroo wasn’t reassured.

“Kyoutani-san”, he said, “I wish you no harm. Please do not be afraid.”

Slowly, he walked closer and took the poor bird from Kyoutani’s arms. It could wander around; someone would soon pick him up.

“You… You were a dog!” Kyoutani finally said.  
“Yes”, Kuroo nodded, “I know it is a shock for you and you might have a lot of questions”, he said, “but for now you need to sit down and drink a bit. Preferably at home.”

Kyoutani didn’t move, so Kuroo gently took his elbow to lead him away from the Stunned wizard on the floor. That wasn’t really helping the peaceful image. When Kyoutani’s automatic pilot seemed to have switched on, Kuroo went back to his Animagus form. The way back home seemed really, really long, and Kyoutani didn’t say a word through it. Finally, they arrived to his apartment, and Kuroo resumed his human form. His torn and tattered clothes didn’t really help either, but Kyoutani followed his lead and sat on the couch.

Kuroo took out his wand.

“ _Accio glass_ ”, he simply said, and he poured water in it from the pitcher before handing it to Kyoutani who seemed to have come back to his senses, though he still looked a bit dazed.  
“You were a dog”, he repeated again.  
“Yes”, Kuroo confirmed again. “Some wizards can achieve an unchangeable animal form. Mine is a Pomeranian.” Not willing to frighten him even more, he knelt by his feet to be able to look at him. “I am a wizard, Kyoutani-san. And you are one too.”  
“No. It is impossible, wizards don’t exist!”  
“I saw you perform magic. You should have gone to a Wizarding and Sorcery School by your eleventh birthday, I have no idea why no one noticed you. But you definitely are a wizard.”

Kyoutani’s hands were trembling when he pushed them through his hair, trying to process the thought. Kuroo knew that as strange as it seemed, it also explained all the weird things that had been happening around him – at first only when he was angry, sad or frightened, but slowly, as he progressively lost control, at the most innocuous moments.

“And who… who are you?” he said. “You’re not British.”

Kuroo chuckled. That much was obvious – his accent was thick, though his English was quite good. And he looked very much Asian.

“My name is Kuroo Tetsurou, Kyoutani-san”, he said, bowing his head, “and I come from Japan.”  
“Why were you buried under trash in your dog form?” Kyoutani said, a bit brazenly.

Kuroo studied him for a moment. If he could get Kyoutani to help him… Then maybe things would be easier?

“I owe you the truth”, he said. “Back in my country, I was trying to create a new magical instrument. Things… didn’t go well. I have to admit I used Dark Magic to get the results I wanted, but it backfired terribly. Now if it had only been about that, I would have paid my debt. But… my friends were victims of it, and I am the only one capable of helping them. So I fled with the hope that I’d be able to find a solution.”

He had a feeling honesty would get through to Kyoutani more easily than a lie. He wasn’t wrong, he realized, as Kyoutani slowly nodded.

“You can stay here”, he said, “if you help me control this… magic. My life’s been hell because of it. I don’t want it.”

Kuroo nodded.

“I can teach you magic and how to use-”  
“I don’t want to use it”, Kyoutani cut him harshly, “I just want to get rid of it!”

Kuroo gaped. He was more powerful than most wizards, and yet he didn’t want it? Still, he nodded. He’d managed to make him change his views on the matter. He could always lie to get him a wand, and the rest would be a piece of cake.

“We have an agreement, then.”  
“And sit on the couch, not on the floor”, Kyoutani grumbled.

Kyoutani looked really flustered, probably thinking back to all the things he had said to the dog that was really a human. Kuroo chuckled in a low voice and sat on the couch next to him. Kyoutani grabbed two covers, gave him one and wrapped himself in the second, settling comfortable before staring at him.

“Now, explain everything”, he said.

And Kuroo did.


	2. Going Back To School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're going back to Hogwarts, going back to schoooool

They had somehow fallen asleep at the wee hours of the morning, when Kuroo’s voice had gone hoarse with explanations about wizards and their world, and Kyoutani was curled up on the couch with his head on Kuroo’s lap, who was snoring peacefully, his head thrown back.

They jolted awake when someone banged loudly against the door.

“Kentarou open the fuck up I know you’re there!”

Kyoutani groaned, got up and shuffled to the door. Just as he expected, Daishou was standing there, positively seething.

“You woke me up”, Kyoutani simply said before slamming the door.

Kuroo gaped, hesitating between bursting out in laughter and lashing out at Daishou for waking him up. Kyoutani turned and looked at him.

“You have a terrible bed-head.”  
“That’s not very nice of you, Kyoutani-san”, Kuroo said with a scowl – even with magic, he had never managed to tame his hair.  
“Who said I was nice?” Kyoutani grumbled.  
“Come on, you can’t lie to the small dog you saved from the rain and the cold”, Kuroo answered with a smug smile, pushing the covers off and stretching himself.

He walked to the kitchen and prepared coffee, before turning to Kyoutani.

“You know, I think this Daishou guy is actually seriously considering breaking down your door.”

Kyoutani huffed in annoyance but opened the door: Daishou was still there, and he would surely have been dripping venom if he could.

“Come in”, he said.  
“Kentarou I don’t know what went through your mind but you’ve been like super rude!” Daishou lashed out as he entered.  
“Kyoutani-san”, Kuroo intervened, “how about you go take a shower while I explain your circumstances to this…” He looked at Daishou and sneered, “this poor excuse of a wizard?”  
“You!” Daishou exclaimed, jumping back, “you Stunned me!”  
“That I did”, Kuroo admitted. “Worth it.”

Kyoutani had nodded and went to the bathroom with the desperate hope that he would get a moment of tranquillity, away from this madness. When he came back with clean clothes and his mind back in order, the two wizards were sitting in his kitchen, talking over warm cups of coffee. A pan was making some pancakes behind them and for a moment Kyoutani wondered if maybe he was still sleeping. Then Daishou turned his eyes to him.

“Kentarou! I’m sorry for my behaviour, I would never have guessed you didn’t know you were a wizard! This is… I believe it is a unique situation.”  
“It is indeed”, Kuroo approved. “We agreed that you should probably go and seek help at the Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Sorcery. It would probably be the best place to learn how to control your… skills”, he said, motioning behind Kyoutani.

His razor was floating behind him, as if waiting for the go. In a movement of his wand, Kuroo had it drop down. Kyoutani stared at him, as if asking “won’t it be dangerous for you?” Kuroo rose an eyebrow, and pulled out a chair for him.

“Hogwarts? A school? Do I look like someone who was good with his studies?”

Kuroo grinned.

“You should stop lying, Kyoutani-san. _Accio reports!”_

In a matter of seconds, Kuroo was holding his high-school reports.

“You certainly had a problem with attitude, but in terms of studies… You were clearly a model student. If you did your best back then, I believe you can do your best for something you want.”

Kyoutani stared at him.

“I’m keeping you as a hostage”, he finally stated.

Kuroo laughed.

“There’s no need for that, Hogwarts is the ideal place for me to hide in plain sight. It seems the headmistress is searching for a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher since the last one had a… bad encounter with stairs.”  
“Would it really be safe for you?” Kyoutani asked, frowning. “You need to save your friends.”  
“And I will”, Kuroo affirmed. “This snake”, he pointed to Daishou, “will not tell a thing.”

Daishou nodded, zipping his lips.

“Now go get your luggage ready, Kentarou”, Daishou said. “I wonder what House you will be sorted in…”  
“What, you think they’ll do that?” Kuroo asked, frowning.  
“I hope they will!” Daishou laughed. “Now about the reason why no one noticed him, as I told you I think it is because his name was wiped from the Muggle-born reports by Voldemort.”  
“Makes sense”, Kuroo agreed while Kyoutani threw some clothes in a travel-bag.  
“I’m ready”, Kyoutani said, “and they’d better not treat me as some eleven years old or I swear I’ll snap.”  
“Kentarou”, Daishou laughed, “you’re twenty-one. You could be in college. It will not be that different.”

Kyoutani grumbled.

“Don’t worry”, Daishou added, “I’ll take care of things here for you. Focus on mastering your magic. Now if you two would”, he said, standing up and holding out his hands.

Kuroo grabbed it without thinking about it twice, while Kyoutani simply stared.

“What are you guys doing”, he asked with a blank stare.  
“We will go to Hogsmeade”, Daishou said, “the village next to Hogwarts since you can’t Apparate into Hogwarts itself.”  
“And I need to hold your hand for that?”  
“Yes”, Kuroo answered. “Daishou- _chan_ is the only one here who knows where Hogsmeade is. We will Apparate with him.”  
“Alright”, Kyoutani said, grabbing the outstretched hand.

*

“What the _fuck_ is this place?!” Kyoutani blurted out as soon as he saw Hogsmeade.  
“Language, Kyoutani-san”, Kuroo said. “You will be surrounded by children.”  
“Alright, I’m leaving you here”, Daishou said. “Shouldn’t be too hard to find Hogwarts from here.”

And he was right, a few minutes after they were both standing at the gates. Kyoutani was watching the castle in awe, jolting when finally, someone came for them – one of the professors, probably.

“We received an owl about your arrival”, they said, “the headmistress is waiting for you.”  
“Look where you’re going”, Kuroo said, pulling Kyoutani away from a rock on his path.  
“What are… Oh my god”, he gasped, “these children are flying on _brooms?!”_

He was pointing to the Quidditch Gryffindor team they could see flying a bit farther.

“Are you all absolutely unconscious?! They could hurt themselves, kill themselves even!”  
“Yes they could”, Kuroo nodded, grinning. “Listen, I’ll tell you more about Quidditch later, okay? For now, there are more important things to attend.”

He grabbed Kyoutani’s arm and dragged him along as the young man looked all around with a gaping mouth. If he was being honest, Kuroo was _absolutely_ unprepared for the piercing shriek Kyoutani made at the sight of Sir Nicholas. He would have never guessed someone so broad and strong could make such a sound, and his jolt of surprise nearly made him send sparkles down his wand.

“Gosh _Kyoutani-san_ don’t scream like that!” He looked around, the passing students were staring at them, probably wondering what kind of freaks they were. 

Those who were accustomed to Muggle clothing weren’t too surprised, but the ones who didn’t dwell much with Muggles were making bulging eyes at Kyoutani’s ripped jeans and t-shirt, barely hidden by his coat.

“What is that?!” Kyoutani gasped, and thankfully Nearly-Headless-Nick hadn’t realized he’d been the one provoking that ear-splitting scream.  
“A ghost”, Kuroo answered in a low voice. “I heard there’s quite a number of them in this castle, so get used to it. And please stop screaming.”

Kyoutani glared at him but closed his mouth and followed, admiring the castle with sparkles in his eyes.

“I heard you applied for the Defence Against the Dark Arts place?” the professor guiding them said to Kuroo, trying his best to keep his composure. “Oh I’m Neville Longbottom, by the way. I teach Herbology.”  
“I look forward to working with you in this lovely place”, Kuroo answered with a smile, still dragging Kyoutani around.

They arrived to a statue and Neville said something that sounded like “Firewhisky”, and Kyoutani had to blink several times at the stairs before he followed them. Neville knocked at a door before leaving, the door opening and Kuroo pushing him into the room. Kyoutani’s brain was trying to process everything, but he had a hard time keeping up. Finally, his thoughts settled on the woman who had been sitting behind a massive desk and was now coming towards them.

“Welcome, Mr. Kuroo, Mr. Kyoutani”, she said. “I’m Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, pleased to meet you. Sit down, please.”

Kuroo watched Kyoutani sit down from the corner of his eyes, before turning back to the Headmistress. He liked her, somewhat.

“I’m grateful you answered our needs so quickly, Mr. Kuroo”, she added. “We desperately need a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. If not for you, I would have asked Auror Potter, but perhaps it’s for the best you came here.”  
“It will be a pleasure to teach the young ones how to be prepared”, Kuroo replied with a grin. “But perhaps we should discuss Kyoutani-san’s… predicament first, don’t you think?”  
“Yes of course”, she agreed. “This is a very unusual situation… Mr. Kyoutani, how well do you control your magic?”  
“I don’t”, Kyoutani said in a gruff tone. “It’s been getting worse lately. Sometimes I can use it the way I want but mostly it just… does things.”

McGonagall glanced at Kuroo, who nodded.

“Kyoutani-san shows sign of an uncontrolled, very powerful magic. The kind of power that is rarely seen. I volunteered to teach him control, but you know as well as I do control isn’t everything.”  
“The easier solution would be to get Mr. Kyoutani with the first years”, she said, “but considering he is older and Muggle-born, we can find him quarters in the professors’ aisle, and bend the rules. Luckily the year just started so it shouldn’t be too difficult for him to fit in.” She looked at Kyoutani. “Is that alright with you?”  
“I don’t want to learn magic”, Kyoutani replied stubbornly. “It only ruined my life, so far.”  
“Let’s make a deal, then”, the Headmistress said with a hint of a smile. “You follow first-year courses while learning control. Once that is done, you have no obligation to continue your studies here and can go back to live as a Muggle. But give yourself a chance to see the beauty of magic.”

Kyoutani mulled over her words, before nodding.

“Professor Kuroo will be your referent”, she added, looking at Kuroo who nodded politely. “Do you mind taking him to Diagon Alley to buy whatever you two might need?”  
“As soon as we’re settled, yes. Is there a Portkey we can use, or maybe the Floo? And… should we get him student robes?”  
“Here is the list”, McGonagall said, handing him a slip of parchment. “You can use the Floo in your rooms. Ollivander is the best wand-maker in London”, she added. “Now, for the Sorting…”

She got up, grabbed the Sorting Hat and looked at Kyoutani.

“Do you know how Houses work?”  
“Yes”, Kyoutani nodded, “Tetsurou explained it to me.”

He looked quite sceptical about it all, still he let the Headmistress put the Sorting Hat on his head. It didn’t dwell on it long before settling on a loud “HUFFLEPUFF”. Kuroo was grinning, and something about it made Kyoutani’s cheeks turn red.

“Your turn, Professor”, McGonagall said with a wicked smile before putting it on Kuroo’s head.

His heart was beating fast as the Hat stayed silent for a long moment, grumbling.

“This one is a difficult one”, it said. “You have all it takes to be a Slytherin… but you’d do well in Ravenclaw too.” It reflected a moment longer, before letting out a “RAVENCLAW”.

The Headmistress didn’t look much surprised.

“Mr. Kyoutani”, she told him, “Mr. Flinch will guide you to your rooms, while I finish with Mr. Kuroo.”

Kyoutani nodded, stood up and went back down, where said Mr. Flinch was waiting for him, a cat on his heels. One look at them told him he wouldn’t like them very much, but after all he wasn’t here to make friends. The man guided him in silence through numerous corridors and Kyoutani was sure he’d get lost on his way before he could remember any of this. Finally, Flinch opened a door and Kyoutani went inside, closing behind him. His luggage was there already, on the bed. The covers and hangings were black and yellow, and there was a coat of arms with a badger above the bed. It would have been cold and creepy if not for the fireplace, where flames roared as soon as Kyoutani looked at it, and the large window opening on a beautiful landscape. He had a desk and three chairs, and some furniture more for his things. He set to unpacking his clothes and hang them in the dresser, not willing to go outside his room by himself yet.

While he organized his things, he reflected on everything he’d seen and heard since the day before. His life had been turned upside down all of a sudden, and it was a lot to get used to, yet something told him it wasn’t necessarily a _bad_ thing. He just needed some time. He was putting the last hanger on the rack when someone knocked and Kuroo let himself in.

“How do you like it?” the wizard said.  
“I don’t know yet”, Kyoutani simply replied.

Kuroo smiled.

“C’mon, we’re going. I’ll unpack later”, he said, and Kyoutani followed him. “From what I heard, Diagon Alley is _the_ wizarding place of London, though there are some wizarding neighbourhoods around. We’ll take the Floo there, get your things and mines, and we’ll be back for dinner to be presented to the school.”

While he talked, he had guided Kyoutani to his own rooms and grabbed a pot from which he drew a handful of powder.

“This is Floo Powder”, he told him. “You take some, you get in the fireplace, you say where you want to go and you dump it. Alright? I’ll show you.”

Kuroo did just what he’d explained and disappeared with impressive green flames, making Kyoutani stumble back in surprise. The young man took his time to calm down before he imitated his moves, his heart still racing. The first thing he saw as he stumbled out of the fireplace was Kuroo’s smiling face. He also noticed that the wizard’s clothes were no longer black but a garish red that set out his black hair and pale skin.

Then he paid attention to his surroundings, taking in the smells and the colours and the crowd moving around, and almost had a panic attack from the overwhelming information. He took his time breathing slowly, grounded back by Kuroo’s hand between his shoulder-blades.

“Are you okay?” Kuroo said with a smile. “Good. Let’s get going, then.”

They went through several shops, buying books with coins Kuroo pulled from his pockets – Galleons, he’d been told – and sets of robes, cauldrons and varying things Kyoutani couldn’t identify. They paused for lunch, not talking much – Kyoutani’s head was about to explode and Kuroo respected that.

“This is the last item you need, and the most important”, Kuroo said as they entered Ollivander’s shop. “Your wand.”

The man who welcomed them was very old, but there was a young man following him, not very tall but broad-shouldered and with an open, warm expression. Kyoutani understood he was an apprentice.

“Welcome, I’m Daichi Sawamura, apprentice under Mr. Ollivander’s guidance. How can I help you today?”  
“We’re here for this young man’s first wand”, Kuroo said, clapping a hand on Kyoutani’s shoulder, and Kyoutani glared. Young man, he’d said, when he couldn’t be more than two years older than him.

Sawamura quirked his brow but simply nodded. Ollivander handed him a measure tape that started to take Kyoutani’s measurement, before he set off to grab a box amongst all the others. Kuroo took out his own wand to show Kyoutani the move he should do, his hand clasped around the smooth mahogany. Kyoutani imitated him, but the wand didn’t respond to him. It took some time and quite a pile of wands before Ollivander stepped in to help his apprentice.

“I haven’t seen such a tricky customer since Harry Potter came here”, he said with a laugh. “Don’t be disappointed”, he added for Daichi, “you still have a lot to learn. Here, boy, try this.”

He handed Kyoutani an unusual wand, not very supple but of a very fine wood. Kyoutani knew it was the one as soon as he clasped his fingers around it. Swishing his wrist only confirmed it, as a shower of red sparkles rained down on them. A light appeared in Ollivander’s eyes as he observed Kyoutani.

“Most unusual”, he finally said. “I never thought I’d see the day this wand would choose a wizard. Acacia, Unicorn tail hair, 15” … A powerful wand that would fit only one, very powerful wizard.”

Kyoutani barely listened to him, fascinated by his wand. It felt perfect in his hand. He made a move, and an orchid bloomed at the tip of his wand. He didn’t realize the three men were staring at him. Kuroo smiled softly and paid for the wand, before guiding him out. He had known Kyoutani was powerful, but he also knew enough about wand lore to know this was a peculiar wand. He felt a shiver at the thought of just how _strong_ Kyoutani was – a diamond in the rough.

“I just have a few last items to purchase”, he told Kyoutani, “and we can head back to Hogwarts.”

Kyoutani nodded, wand clasped in his hand tightly, and followed him to a dark shop in a back alley. He knew the moment he stepped in he shouldn’t have been there. The place crawled with something that made him really uncomfortable, and yet he couldn’t pinpoint it.

“Dark Magic”, Kuroo whispered. “That’s Dark Magic you feel. I need things for class, and for my own mission.”

Kyoutani nodded, jaw clenched. The sooner he’d be out of there, the better. Luckily, Kuroo didn’t take too long, and soon they were back to the Floo with their purchases. They went back to Hogwarts and Kuroo left him to get ready – which meant putting on a set of dark robes with a black and yellow necktie. He tied it up loosely, leaving his robes open on his jeans and t-shirt. Still, he put his wand in his pocket. He didn’t really know what to expect – Kuroo had never been to Hogwarts and couldn’t really describe it. From what he’d told Kyoutani, he’d studied at Mahoutokoro, in Japan, since he was seven. He hadn’t said much more about his own studies, and Kyoutani hadn’t asked. He knew when it was wise not to ask.

When he exited his rooms, Kuroo was waiting for him. He followed him to the Great Hall, amazed at the sheer size of it, the long tables and the students chatting happily. Kuroo guided him to one of the tables where students wore yellow just like him.

“This is your House”, he told him as the prefect – a tall boy with chestnut hair tied back and soft brown eyes – made his way to them.  
“Welcome”, he said to Kyoutani with a smile. “I’m Asahi Azumane, Hufflepuff prefect and sixth year; you can come to me if you have any problem. Come sit down”, he added, gesturing to an empty seat close to him.

Meanwhile, Kuroo had made his way to the table where all the professors were sitting. The Headmistress called for attention, and all heads turned to her.

“As you may have noticed, we welcome tonight our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Mr. Kuroo. We also welcome a new student, older than you, Kyoutani Kentarou. I count on you to welcome them warmly.”

There was a round of applause, and an appetizing dinner appeared on the table, making Kyoutani jolt on his seat and sending his magic haywire. It knocked over his glass and a basket of fruits started to float around, before it sent its content like bullets all around. There were cries as the students dodged the food attacking them, though the professors quickly got it in control – except for one apple, which zoomed to another table and hit the back of a head, sending its owner nose first into his plate. The people around him only started to laugh harder as he turned around to glare at Kyoutani. Kyoutani only stared back, sneering, and the girl at his left tensed.

“Uh oh, I believe you’ve angered Tooru”, she said.  
“Why would I care about that fop”, Kyoutani growled, digging into his food now that his magic was under control once more.  
“Tooru is Slytherin, and the Quidditch captain of his House”, the girl provided. “He’s also known for his outstanding results in Potions and Transfiguration. Trust me, you don’t want to cross him. Or his boyfriend, for all it matters.”

She had jerked her chin at another boy, sitting at the Gryffindor table and chatting happily.

“Hajime is kind, but he always has Tooru’s back”, Asahi confirmed, “and he’s really skilled at Defence Against the Dark Arts. He’s also on Gryffindor’s Quidditch team, as a Beater.”  
“What’s ‘Quidditch’?” Kyoutani asked, completely unfazed. “Kuroo mentioned that earlier but I still don’t have a clue what it is.”  
“I will explain”, the girl said excitedly. “I’m Yachi Hitoka, by the way. Second year, pleased to meet you.”

And she did explain. In fact, she explained with so much passion that when she finally shut up, Kyoutani wanted nothing more than to mount a broom and play Quidditch as well. If not for the fact that he had absolutely no idea how to fly a broom. Or that he hated magic. The meal was almost finished by that time, and Asahi took the opening.

“And you? How come you didn’t attend Hogwarts, or any other Wizarding School, earlier?”  
“I didn’t even know I was a wizard until yesterday”, Kyoutani replied as he gobbled down his dessert. “It’s all new stuff for me.”  
“No way”, Asahi said. “How can this be?”  
“Well”, Kyoutani said, wiping his mouth, “I was told some years ago, Voldy-dude wiped out Muggle-born records so we wouldn’t attend school, and they think I was born on those years and they completely lost track of my record.”

Asahi and Hitoka stared at him, mouths open in shock.

“I’m still not sure I’m not completely barmy, mind you”, Kyoutani said before getting up. He startled when a ghost went through the table, but manage to keep his dignity and walk to Kuroo, who was observing him.  
“Here”, the wizard said, handing him a timetable. “You have Flying Lessons first thing in the morning. I’ll tutor you during free periods, just come over to my office.”  
“I already hate this”, Kyoutani replied.  
“I believe you made some friends already”, Kuroo smirked, pointing at Oikawa with his chin, who was walking over.

The Slytherin was clearly furious, his boyfriend following and looking bored as hell until his eyes landed on Kyoutani. Then he eyed him carefully and nodded, whispering something to the Gryffindor standing beside him, and Kyoutani wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about that. Oikawa hadn’t seen any of that, though, and marched on until he was towering over Kyoutani with a sneer. Kyoutani eyed him, rose an eyebrow and turned his back on him.

“I’m tired. See you tomorrow, Tetsurou.”

Oikawa gasped at the nerve of him, and Hajime snickered behind his back. Kuroo observed the scene for a moment. As things were now, the young Slytherin had more practice than Kyoutani. But Kyoutani’s sheer skill would soon surpass him – and then, what would the Grand King do?


	3. Oikawa Tooru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoutani makes some friends.

Kyoutani was in a horrible mood when he trumped into Kuroo’s office, covered in mud and sneering. 

“How do I get back to that Tooru guy?” he growled. 

Kuroo looked at him, taking in his rumpled appearance and the bruises already forming on his cheek. More probably covered his body, and he sighed. 

“Are you hurt?”   
“Doesn’t matter”, Kyoutani said through gritted teeth. “How do I get back to him?”   
“I’m a teacher, I can’t tell you that. But you might find something useful at the library. Now take off your robes and let me check you’re not actually hurt. And heal those bruises, too. What happened?”   
“The bitch jinxed my broom”, Kyoutani replied, pulling off his robes one handed and standing there, naked to the waist. He was wearing his jeans under it, but Kuroo thought it was no use to call him out on his uniform. Then his eyes fell on his actual body and he gasped.   
“What the _fuck_ , Kyoutani? Your arm, look at your arm!” 

Kyoutani glanced down. 

“Oh yeah. Might be broken.” 

Kuroo’s lips were pinched thin as he brutally sat down the young man and pulled out his own wand, muttering something Kyoutani couldn’t understand, but that seemed very rude, as he examined his wounds. 

“How did you even do that?” he asked, mending the broken bones. “And how DARE YOU say you’re not hurt?”   
“He jinxed my broom”, Kyoutani said again. “Went straight into that tree. And I might have hit my head because I’m pretty sure the tree hit me back.” 

Kuroo stilled, wand in hand. 

“The Whomping Willow? You flew straight to the _Whomping Willow?_ DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH? Because if so I can make it quick and PAINLESS. Will save me a lot of trouble.”   
“My broom was _jinxed”_ , Kyoutani sneered back. 

Kuroo healed him and straightened up with a sigh. 

“There, you’re as good as new.” 

There was a knock at the door. Kuroo looked at Kyoutani, who nodded, and went to open the door. Oikawa was standing there, his head hanging low in shame, Hajime holding his collar and pushing him into the room. 

“I’m sorry, Kyoutani”, he muttered. “I didn’t mean to do something so dangerous.” 

Kuroo looked at them, and sighed. 

“Detention, Mr. Oikawa, for endangering one of your comrades and taking advantage of your years at Hogwarts in a wrongful way.” He eyed Oikawa up and down. “My office, at eight sharp.” 

Kuroo didn’t miss Iwaizumi ogling at the half-naked Kyoutani, nor his sharp intake of breath. He hadn’t really paid attention with his concern for Kyoutani’s health, but turning back to him, he realized how very _fine_ Kyoutani was. Wiry tendons appeared under tanned skin, strong muscles shifting with every move. He could even see the indecent trail of dark hair down Kyoutani’s bellybutton and disappearing into his jeans. Tearing his eyes away, he looked up at Kyoutani’s face. The young man was staring at Oikawa, who looked more uncomfortable by the minute. 

“You teach me how to fly”, Kyoutani finally said, “and I will not retaliate.” 

Oikawa scoffed, clearly not expecting this. 

“Why would I…”   
“I’ll teach you”, a third voice said, and Hajime stepped forward. “Tooru is a good flyer but an awful teacher. You don’t want him nagging you.” He held out his hand to Kyoutani. “So, I teach you, and you forget Tooru’s… stupidity.” 

They stared at each other for a moment, tension crackling between them, before Kyoutani grabbed his hand and shook it. The two boys exited the room, closing the door behind themselves and leaving them alone. 

“I’m not sure going back would be worth it”, Kuroo said, checking the time. “The lesson is almost finished.” He eyed Kyoutani curiously. “Why do you want one of them to teach you how to fly? They are only students here, no matter how skilled they may be.”   
“You can learn from everyone”, Kyoutani retorted, pulling his top back on. “If you’re not a pretentious asshole.” He looked at Kuroo. “Maybe you ought to check from whom you take your lessons.” 

Kuroo was taken aback, and didn’t reply immediately, as Kyoutani peered around the office. 

“I can’t see any of the stuff you bought yesterday”, he said. “Have you not started your experiments yet?”   
“I’ve been busy preparing my afternoon courses”, Kuroo snapped back, “and trying to find a safe place to do this.” 

Kyoutani nodded, and Kuroo sighed, rubbing his hands on his face and muttering in Japanese. 

“Go change your clothes, you’ve already dripped mud and blood everywhere. What’s your next class?”   
“Charms”, Kyoutani replied. “What do you do in Charms anyway?” 

Kuroo pointed his wand to his desk. 

“ _Wingardium Leviosa_ ”, he uttered clearly, more for Kyoutani’s sake than for his own. He could do silent spells and easy wandless magic, thank you very much. Kyoutani’s expression as the enormous volume on his desk started to float was worth it, though. He couldn’t help his little smile. “You want to try?” 

“Do I have to say that to make things fly?” Kyoutani said, sceptically. “Because I’ve had things flying around me and I never said that.”   
“No, that was your magic going ballistic. Here, I perfectly control the book”, Kuroo demonstrated, making the book go up and down.   
“So I only need the spell?”   
“Wand movement too, or it won’t work. Do you want me to show you again?” 

Kyoutani stared at him, determination shining in his eyes. He spun on his heels to the door, and slashed his wand at it. 

“ _Incendio._ ” 

The wooden door immediately burst into flames, rendering Kuroo speechless before he hastily casted a counter-spell to prevent any damage, but the door was already badly burnt, and a large piece of it fell to the ground with an echoing noise. Kyoutani flashed his wand again and Kuroo startled, before he heard the words. 

“ _Wingardium Leviosa_ ”, Kyoutani said, and the wood started to float upward. 

Kuroo gathered his thoughts and looked at Kyoutani. 

“Say, now that you’ve ruined my door, what are you going to do with that wood?” 

Kyoutani gave him a cheeky grin and moved his wand, which sent the wood hurtling into the corridors and crashing into the walls, soon followed by almost every item in the room. It was obvious from Kyoutani’s face that this last part wasn’t part of his plan. Kuroo muttered a _Finite Incantatem_ , still staring at him. 

“Well?”   
“I believe”, Kyoutani said, stepping through the no-longer-existing door, “that you can now ask for someplace more _secure_ to work in.” 

_Brilliant_ , Kuroo thought as Kyoutani disappeared. _He’s a genius._

* 

They didn’t see each other again before lunch, and Kuroo chuckled when he saw a grumpy Kyoutani sitting amidst a flock of eleven years old Hufflepuffs, all looking at him with sparkles in their eyes. He would have thought the kids would be frightened by him, like most older students were, but the little ones were talking excitedly and Kuroo even saw the hint of a smile when he bent to help one of them who was struggling with his meat. 

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_  
Where they are just and loyal,   
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true   
And unafraid of toil. 

The words he’d read in his small book about the late history of Hogwarts and Wizarding Britain had stuck with him: despite his outer gruff, Kyoutani was kind, patient and gentle. It had barely been two days since he’d learnt he was a wizard, and yet he was already adapting to his new environment. 

“-and all the feathers burst into flames, I had never seen that! He has a tremendous power, and I can’t say I’m not a bit wary of knowing he can’t control it yet…”   
“He’s already twenty-one, of course he’ll take longer to learn control”, Kuroo snapped at Professor Flitwick. “We just have to make this as stress-free as possible.” 

He winced when he looked back to Kyoutani, who had his wand pulled out and was looking, crestfallen, at the hoovering dishes above his head. He could feel the power buzzing in the Great Hall, about to be unleashed, and jumped up, his chair clattering down as he whipped out his own wand with a loud “fuck!”. There was a crackle of energy, and suddenly glasses were exploding, and fruits with them, the tables rattling on the floor as the students started to scream and cry in fear. Plates went zooming around, spraying their contents everywhere, dangerously sharp. He heard several cries of “ _Protego_ ” as sixth and seven years shielded younger students, the professors all trying to get the situation under control. Gritting his teeth, he sent a Stunning Spell that hit Kyoutani square in the back. The young man slowly crumpled to the ground, and every flying object came crashing down. 

The Great Hall, along with the students, was a complete mess, and Kuroo could only hope there had been no injury as he hurried to Kuroo. He heard the professors calling out to see if everyone was alright, cast a quick _Mobilicorpus_ on Kyoutani and took him out of the Hall. The silence was deafening as he walked through, dark robes bellowing around him and levitating a Muggle-born with torn dark robes. He heard crying as he went through the doors – the first years had clearly been very frightened. Now, he needed a place where it would be safe for Kyoutani to stay and study. It was now obvious he couldn’t attend regular courses while his magic was like this, and Kuroo finally understood why he’d been so adamant on hating magic and wanting nothing to do with it. 

He arrived to a set of large doors he didn’t recognize and went through: he knew at once it was the Room of Requirements he had read about. Everything he would need would be there. Slowly, he closed the doors behind himself and put Kyoutani down on the bed. 

“ _Rennervate_ ”, he said, and Kyoutani gasped and coughed. “Are you hurt?”   
“No”, Kyoutani replied, averting his gaze and wrapping his arms around himself. “I didn’t mean to do that. I just wanted the glass to float.” He looked at Kuroo with pleading eyes. “Can’t you take it away? Lock the magic, or something?” 

Kuroo rose an eyebrow. 

“It is indeed possible to lock a wizard or a witch’s magic inside of them. But it’s Dark Magic. And should you ask, I wouldn’t do it.”   
“Why? I’m dangerous, you just saw it! What if next time someone gets hurt? What if it’s one of the kids I send flying into a wall? What will you do then?”   
“Kyoutani-san, listen to me”, Kuroo said sternly. “Locking your powers would kill you. That’s why it’s Dark Magic. Your body _needs_ to let that power out.”   
“I JUST BLASTED THE FUCKING HALL WITH PEOPLE IN IT”, Kyoutani yelled, “KILL ME, FOR ALL I CARE. Do you think I could live knowing I killed a _kid_ because my magic went wild?!” 

There was another surge of power and Kuroo distinctively felt it. _Merlin, such raw power… And he’s a Muggleborn._ Books were blasted off the shelves around them, and Kyoutani collapsed into a trembling mess. Kuroo bit his lips. He wasn’t used to physical contact, but it was obvious Kyoutani was distressed. 

“Ky-” he started, stepping forward.   
“Go away”, Kyoutani rasped, his voice full of tears, batting his hand away. 

Kuroo frowned, and took his decision. In a matter of seconds, he was ball of black fur that yipped and panted happily, his small paws on Kyoutani’s thigh. The young man pulled his hands away from his face and looked at him, his expression softening. Gently, Kyoutani picked Kuro up and cradled him to his chest, burying his face in the soft fur. 

“I just want a way out”, he whispered, his voice breaking. 

Kuro made no sound. Now that he really understood what magic meant to Kyoutani, he realized teaching him control would be even more complicated than expected. And he had his own experiments to do – delicate, that required precision and patience. This was even weirder considering Kyoutani’s wand: it was the wand of a powerful, subtle wizard, with a constant power. Not the wand of someone who ran around recklessly banging pots together, and so far, that was all Kyoutani had done. _The wand chooses the wizard._ That was a law of wandlore, one he had never doubted. It could only mean one thing: Kyoutani hadn’t reached his true potential yet. He would have been glad to have an older, more experimented and trustworthy wizard with them, but he knew that since the Second Wizarding War, powerful wizards didn’t dare to dabble even in the lightest forms of Dark Arts. 

Meanwhile, he had to do something. Kyoutani was a bomb ready to explode, and he didn’t really need that at the moment – nor at any other moment, really. He pulled away from Kyoutani and changed back to his human form. 

“I’ll get to the library to see if I can find something to help you”, he said. “Stay here in the meantime, okay?” 

Kyoutani nodded, standing up and settling on the bed there, his back to Kuroo. The wizard bit back his sigh and exited the Room to rush to the library. Luckily, he had a two-hours free period – the same couldn’t be said of Kyoutani, but no one would be expecting him in class after the fiasco in the Great Hall. He talked briefly to the Headmistress, reassured that no one had been hurt, before finally getting there. The Restricted Section would surely hold an answer, but he didn’t look forward to opening and reading shrieking or bloodstained books. He settled down with a couple of them, dragon-skin gloves on his hands to avoid any curse that might be there, and started to do his research. 

* 

Kuroo had barely been gone for half an hour when Kyoutani heard the door open. He rolled to his side. 

“Did you find something?”   
“I’m not Professor Kuroo”, a voice said from the door. 

Kyoutani jumped up: a boy of about thirteen was standing there, and two younger boys were standing behind him, their faces very pale. 

“You should not be here”, Kyoutani growled, standing up. “It’s dangerous.”   
“But aren’t you lonely there?” one of the young boys – with white-blond hair and grey eyes – asked.   
“I don’t think you want to hurt us”, the other one said. “You just have trouble controlling your magic.”   
“Why did you come here?” Kyoutani sighed, rubbing his face.   
“To help”, the oldest boy said. “I’m James Potter, and this is my brother Albus.”   
“I’m Scorpius Malfoy”, the one with blond hair said with a small smile. “I don’t know if Albus and me can be of much help, but you seem to need some company.” 

Kyoutani stared at them, a bit dumbfounded. 

“It’s all a bit too much for me”, he finally said.   
“Come with us”, James said, “you seem to need a bit of fresh air.”   
“I’m not supposed to move from here”, Kyoutani pointed out with half a smile.   
“Come anyway”, Scorpius said, sparkles in his eyes. “Albus and I wanted to work on our Potion Essay, you can work with us!” 

Kyoutani pondered over the proposition for a few minutes before standing up. 

“Alright”, he said, “I’m coming. I don’t like being scooped up in there.” 

He went to one of the bookshelves and pulled out three books – _Hogwarts, A History, What You Need To Know – For Muggleborns Wizards_ , and his book of Potions. He also grabbed a notebook and a pencil-case, attracting glances from the three young wizards. He chuckled at their expressions. 

“I know this school has an aesthetic going on, but I’m too old already to bother writing everything with a quill, on parchment. It’s bad enough that I have to do essays with them already.”   
“You are Muggleborn?” James asked as they exited the Room and set off to the grounds. “They only said you were older than us.”   
“Yeah”, Kyoutani replied. “I only just learnt I’m a wizard, it’s a bit much to accept but many things make much more sense now.”   
“How come you didn’t know earlier? The school should have known…” Scorpius said.   
“According to Kuroo and to this book”, Kyoutani said, showing _What You Need To Know_ , “it’s because I was born in 1996. Since Voldemort wiped out Muggleborn records, there was no way to find me.” 

He didn’t notice the way the three boys paled at the mention of the name. He hadn’t read enough on Voldemort yet to know he ought not to say his name. 

“That’s wild”, James said, cutting through the uncomfortable silence that was threatening to settle on them. “Oh, look, there comes the Slytherin Prince”, he added with a grin, “with Hajime!” 

He waved at the two older teens, who changed their course to come towards them. 

“Hullo Jamie” Oikawa said with a wink. “Scorpius, Albus. In need of help with Transfiguration yet again?”   
“Kentarou”, Hajime said, nodding his head to Kyoutani and clapping his shoulder. “You alright? You gave us quite a fright, you know.”   
“I should be asking all of you”, Kyoutani replied, frowning. “As anyone been hurt?”   
“Luckily, no” Hajime replied, shaking his head. “So what happened with Tooru the other day, it was wild magic as well?” 

Kyoutani nodded, following James who was guiding the whole group to a tree by the lake, as Oikawa entertained Albus and Scorpius. 

“Must be tough”, Hajime resumed. “Discovering you’re a wizard at your age…”   
“Don’t be so gloomy, Kentarou”, Oikawa said with a wide grin. “You just showed everyone how powerful your magic is; it’ll be a blast once you can control it.”   
“If I haven’t blasted the school before”, Kyoutani retorted. “Or any student, for that matter. I have a feeling it’s been worse since I got a wand. Like it unlocked all my magic but I can’t control it yet.” 

Oikawa was peering at him. 

“I wonder… You struggle with first-year spells, right? Have you tried anything more advanced?”   
“You make no sense”, Kyoutani said. “If I didn’t manage to make a _fucking_ feather levitate, how could I do something harder?”   
“Because you have a lot of pent-up power, but seeing your wand, your magic is meant to be subtle. So everything you’ve tried so far ended up in smokes and thunder, didn’t it?” 

Kyoutani stared at him. Oikawa wasn’t too far from the truth. 

“What do you suggest?”   
“Try the Patronus Charm”, James said with a wild air about him. “I’m sure you’ll love it! It’s a bum I can’t do it yet.”   
“I agree with James, try the Patronus. We’ll shield the kids, if it can ease your mind.”   
“Right”, Kyoutani said with a frown. “So, show me.” 

Hajime stepped forward and demonstrated the wand movement, adding that the incantation was “Expecto Patronum”. 

“You have to focus on your happiest memory”, Tooru said. “No one’s managed to do it on the first try so don’t worry. Some people get a Corporeal Patronus. Like this”, he added, _“Expecto Patronum!”_

A silver of light sprang from his wand, mist turned into fog, which quickly took a shape. An enormous wolf started to run around, and Tooru gave a sheepish smile at Hajime before making it vanish. 

“My memory is when Hajime asked me out”, he confessed, cheeks turning red. “Go with whatever does it for you.” 

Kyoutani frowned, thinking back to a happy memory that would be strong enough for the spell. He discarded several, before finding one he thought would be suitable. He had been young at that time – three years old, barely. It was Christmas, and his parents had gotten him a puppy. He remembered being loved, warm and happy. He remembered the strong embrace of his mom, and his father’s grin. The happy yipping of the dog, and his own giggles. He breathed out, focusing on that peculiar memory, and waved his wand. 

“ _Expecto Patronum_ ”, he said clearly, despite his throat tightening at the memory washed over him. 

Mist poured from his wand, quickly thickening under the students’ astonished eyes, and soon turning into a massive dog that jumped around, barking. It was turning brighter and brighter as he focused, his wand keeping on pouring out mist. He opened his eyes and gasped at the sight. He felt strangely calm and elated. 

“I… This shouldn’t be possible”, Tooru squeaked.   
“Many things about him shouldn’t be possible”, a voice intervened, making them jump. “And yet here we are.” 

They all scrambled up as Kuroo crossed his arms over his chest, observing them. 

“This was reckless”, he added. “Reckless and dangerous. Despite seeing what happened in the Great Hall, you disobeyed express rules from the Headmistress.” 

They hung their heads, listening to him. 

“But you found a way to help Kyoutani-san, something for which you should all be rewarded. So here is what is going to happen: you will have detention this evening, with me. And I’m awarding you thirty points each for your bravery, cunning and quick thinking.” 

They gasped and nodded at the teacher, who looked at Kyoutani and rose an eyebrow. 

“Impressive Patronus, I must say.” He then looked at Tooru and Hajime. “Now hurry up to your D.A.D.A classes before I have to give you even more detention.” 

They quickly disappeared, off to the class, and Kuroo looked at James, Albus and Scorpius. 

“I believe you can all study together to make the most out this situation”, he said with a smile. “Keep the good work going.” 

And he followed after the two sixth year, his robes bellowing around him, almost sinister. Kyoutani sat back down with the younger students and grabbed his notebook, while Scorpius lent him his lessons so he could keep on copying them. They sat like this for almost two hours, mostly exchanging tips and questions as they worked on their essays, James pointing out where they were wrong and explaining to Kyoutani the parts he didn’t really understand. Finally, it was time for dinner, and Kyoutani hung his head as he re-appeared in the Great Hall. There was no trace of the earlier damage, except for the curious, fearful faces of the students around him. He went through his meal quickly, joining Hajime, Tooru, Scorpius, Albus and James to their walk to Kuroo’s new office. It was low in the dungeons, and several locked doors lead to it, though at the moment they were open for them. Tooru knocked on the door, and Kuroo opened almost immediately. His hair was a mess and he wasn’t wearing any robes, only a pair of black trousers and a large, red shirt with the sleeves rolled up his arms. 

“Ah, yes”, he said, nodding at them. “Come in, you lot.” 

They filled into the office – but it had only the name. Close to the door was a large, dark mahogany desk with rolls of parchments scattered across it. The rest had them looking around with wide eyes: a tank with a grindylow, a cage of pixies, a rattling wardrobe that had known better days, pictures of werewolves and vampires, and a wide selection of objects they had never seen. 

“Do not touch anything”, Kuroo warned them, “there are very dangerous items in here. Oikawa-kun, Iwaizumi-kun, you’ll be with me. I have some things you’ll find interesting. Potter-kun, Malfoy-kun, you two will complete an essay on wandlore thanks to the books you can find on the table here”, he said, pointing to a far corner of the room. 

The younger boys exchanged a look and moved there: high bookshelves made a secluded area with a large table, chairs and armchairs. Some rows of books were heavily warded off, and they wouldn’t have touched them anyway – they knew just looking at them they were Dark Arts books, most of them you couldn’t even find in the library’s restricted section. 

“Pott- James-kun”, he said, turning to him, “you have had trouble with the grindylow earlier. I want you to study about them here, and then try again. Kyoutani, you will read over these notes”, he said, handing him a long parchment. “See if you want to go through it. You can come with Oikawa-kun, Iwaizumi-kun and me if you want to.”   
“Sir”, Tooru asked, looking at a shrivelled hand on a piece of furniture, “is that…”   
“A Hand of Glory”, Kuroo nodded. “Gives only light to the holder. An interesting form of ancient magic.” 

On another table were a scatter of objects and books showing he was working on something. They could see gold glittering. The oldest boys followed the young professor to another area, wondering just how _wide_ Kuroo’s new “office” was. There were several other pieces of furniture that made them wonder whether they’d just stepped into the Potion Master’s office. 

“I know of your… condition, Oikawa-kun”, Kuroo said softly, and Tooru flinched. “I know you have a dab hand at Potions, and are taking it in your NEWTS course. Iwaizumi-kun, you’re very good at Defense Against the Dark Arts and Herbology, and you don’t fare too badly at Potions. This will be useful to you too. I’m going to teach the two of you how to make Wolfsbane Potion.”   
“Isn’t it… incredibly difficult?” Tooru asked. 

“It is”, Kuroo nodded, “The school I studied at had a different way of handling our education. You have the level needed to be taught how to do this potion, and a personal interest in doing so. The full moon is on the fifth of October, meaning in three days’ time. I already prepared the Potion for this time, but you’re going to do it for next month.” 

The look on Tooru’s face had turned sour and serious. With Kuroo’s approve, he removed his robes and rolled up his sleeves, to be free in his movements. On his right arm, Kyoutani saw pale, mangled scarring, like a huge bite. There were a few other scars down his collar, and Kuroo grabbed his arm, observing the scars and brushing his fingers at them as he muttered a few words in Japanese. 

“You didn’t have Wolfsbane when you previously transformed?” he finally asked.   
“No”, Oikawa replied, “it happened so close to the full moon, there was barely even enough time to take me to the Shrieking Shack.” He shivered at the thought. “Hopefully it’ll be easier with the potion.”   
“It will”, Kuroo confirmed. “When the full moon comes, you will come here, take the potion and stay here the whole night. It’ll be more comfortable, and less dangerous than the Shack.”   
“Kuroo”, Kyoutani interrupted him, eyes straining on the parchment. “This is… it has to be very Dark Magic, isn’t it?” 

Kuroo looked up. 

“It is, yes. I told you, sealing your powers is considered Dark Magic. You _have_ to learn control.”   
“But if… if everything else fails, we could still do that…” 

Kuroo slammed the cup he was holding down on the table and trumped to him. 

“We will not fail, Kyoutani-san.” 

Kyoutani stared at him. 

“I hope we won’t.” 

“Oikawa-kun’s idea is good. I’ll have you work on harder spells”, Kuroo went on. “Practice makes perfect. Now, Iwaizumi-kun, please grab the wolfsbane behind you.”


	4. Two Souls Into One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An accident, with dire consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably one of the most angsty chapters. Be prepared.

Detention went on for a good two hours and a half, and finally Kuroo sent the students back to their dorms. Only Kyoutani stayed behind, watching him and walking around, observing the items around the room.

“What’s that?” he finally asked, pointing to an antique katana exposed next to what had probably been its matching wakizashi, the handle remaining only, and blackened, seemingly ready to shatter.  
“This was Taira-san’s… Lord Taira Ranmaru”, Kuroo said with a nod. “A powerful Japanese warlock, all our children know about him, like every English kid knows about Voldemort. This was his Horcrux, before it was destroyed by Hinata-san. He was vanquished centuries ago, but his writings were passed on in Pureblood families dabbling with the Dark Arts. I wouldn’t be surprised if your Lord Voldemort learnt most about Horcruxes through reading that man’s work… _Secrets of the Dark Arts_. For your information, Horcruxes are very Dark Magic. They make you immortal, but the price you pay is more than what it’s worth.”  
“Why do you know so much about it then?”  
“It’s a long story, but you deserve to know why I’m… a hunted man, I guess.” He made his way to the small library, sat in an armchair and _accioed_ two glasses of wine and a bottle while Kyoutani settled down. “Back at school, my best friend was obsessed with knowledge and power, like many are. And we… dove a bit deeper than we should have in the study of the Dark Arts. They can be very fascinating – how _crafty_ the human mind can be when it comes to horror.” He posed. “That friend… made a Horcrux.” He closed his eyes, sighing. “He’s been locked in our Wizard prison for murder for four years now, though no one but me knows about his Horcrux. Anyway. I just… I wanted to save him, as mad as it sounds. So I’ve been researching ways to heal a soul… to bring back the two pieces of a same soul together. And to do that, I have to dive always deeper into the Dark Arts. That’s how I… I had a plan, but I failed, and two of my best friends paid the price.” He pulled out a phial from his robes. “This contains their souls. Their bodies are maintained in an eternal slumber, so I can make them whole again once I’ve found… how to do that.”

Kyoutani was about to speak when there was a loud noise outside, and Kuroo posed.

“What was that?” Kyoutani asked.  
“Someone is forcing their way through my wards”, Kuroo hissed, pulling out his wand. “Stand back. I don’t think the wizards after me would have found me here but you never know.”

There was another loud noise, and another, and finally the door burst into pieces. A man was standing there, panting heavily, his eyes wild. He was older than them and looked dishevelled, jet-black hair spiking everywhere, green eyes blazing, his wand pointed ahead of him.

“No one moves! Auror Potter. Show yourselves, hands up and wands away!”  
“You come barging into my rooms, Auror, and I should put my wand away?” Kuroo growled, walking forward.  
“WAND AWAY!” the Auror yelled, “NOW!”

Kuroo was about to retort when he heard a wheeze and saw Kyoutani crumble, shaking wildly, as artefacts around the room made a buzzing noise.

“Shit”, Kuroo cursed, “now’s not the moment to lose control, Kyoutani-san”, he cried out, dropping at his side. “Oh for fuck’s sake”, he added, casting a Stupefix on him.  
“Merlin’s beard, what is going on here?” Potter seethed.  
“You frightened the hell out of him, that’s what happened!” Kuroo cried out, white with anger. “He can’t control his magic yet, you nearly killed us all!”  
“Wha- Me?!” Potter said, incredulous.  
“Yes, YOU! For all we know he could have blasted the damn castle on our heads!” Kuroo muttered a few curses in a low-voice, levitating Kyoutani on his desk and sending the parchments tumbling to the ground.

The young man was deathly pale, beads of sweat rolling on his skin, and Kuroo could almost feel the power rippling under his skin, begging to be let out.

“Come here and make yourself useful, Auror. Make sure he is stabilized and doesn’t die in the process”, he said, brandishing his wand.  
“What are you doing?” the man asked, peering at him with doubtful eyes, clearly wary of him.  
“Something dangerous… You drove me into that wall”, Kuroo bit back. “If I do nothing, his own power will kill him and probably blast the whole place. I can try to syphon some of it. Now make sure he doesn’t die.”

He held the tip of his wand to Kyoutani’s chest, and white light started to pour _into_ his wand. It started to vibrate, and soon it was shaking so hard he had to pull away. His hair was damp with sweat, but Kyoutani was shaking a bit less now. He released the magic in a jet of light against a far wall, and went back to his task.

“Wait wait wait his heart-” Potter started to say.  
“DAMMIT”, Kuroo cursed, extracting more magic. “GET A HEALER, POTTER.”

The man looked at him, nodded and ran out of the office, as Kuroo bent over Kyoutani, a hand on his chest. Kyoutani’s heart had slowed down – way too fast, and way too much. So much that Kuroo barely felt it under his hand. It was a matter of two, maybe three minutes before it stopped definitely, causing indescribable damage. The young wizard took a shaking breath. He had no other choice, though after that he would be under arrest. Auror Potter wouldn’t let that pass – such Dark magic, with his history… He lowered Kyoutani to the ground, feeling his life slip away between his fingers with each breath he took. He started his incantation in a low, trembling voice – words that no one had uttered in centuries, if not more – gaining power as he ploughed on, his body compressing like he was about to Disapparate. Gently, he pried Kyoutani’s jaw open and pushed his mouth against his in a simulacra of a kiss. Cold fell on him as his soul left his body, like Kyoutani’s, and they merged together. He breathed out and the connexion was severed, two souls going back to two bodies – irremediably linked.

He rose slowly, feeling dizzy and incredibly weak, and watched anxiously as colour came back to Kyoutani’s cheeks. He barely saw his eyes flutter open before he collapsed, unconscious.

*

Kyoutani opened his eyes. He felt incredibly weak and tired. He tried moving a finger, but even that was too much. Slowly, he gathered his memories and his feelings. He remembered the Auror barging into Kuroo’s office, and the surge of magic – that had been painful. He remembered a whisper in his ears, words too soft to be heard, and a golden gleam. That was all he remembered. But there was a warm feeling in his chest, like red coals burning low and comforting him, and he was sure _that_ hadn’t been there before.

“Oh, good, you’re awake!” said a voice with obvious relief. “You caused us quite a fright, you know.”

A witch was standing beside him, handling potions, and she helped him to drink a little. His throat was parched and the cold water felt good.

“Is he awake? I need to talk to him”, a voice said, and Kyoutani recognized the Auror.  
“Even if he was fit to talk with you”, the witch said, “I doubt he would be much help to you. He hasn’t even been here for a week and knows nothing to magic.”  
“How is this possible? With such a power…”  
“I don’t know the details, Mr. Potter, but everyone assumes his record got deleted by Voldemort. Surely you can understand that.”

Kyoutani heard a low grumble from the man, and a heavy sigh.

“Yeah, I get it. But I need answers, quickly.”

Kyoutani heard him walk away, and closed his eyes again. He was so, so tired.

*

Kuroo opened his eyes with a gasp, panting to get some air in his lungs, his fingers clenched on the sheets under him. His vision went blurry, but as he managed to breathe and calm down, it settled too and came back into focus. He closed his eyes again, thinking back to his last action. Usually, soul-bonds were mutually created, out of consent, with a long-term partner. It allowed two wizards to share their life-force, and sometimes their magical power. They gave an access to each other’s feelings, too. It asked for a lot of power and was a tightly kept secret. What he had done to Kyoutani’s soul… It was a twisted, rushed version of that loving binding – something he alone had done, to save Kyoutani’s dwindling life by infusing him his own. He didn’t know how long it would hold, or if it would ever break. He didn’t know what it would do, either. But considering he wasn’t dead, it had worked. He had saved the young, amazingly powerful wizard.

Then he realized two green eyes were peering at him, and he sighed.

“At least wait until I’m standing on my own two feet to arrest me, Auror Potter”, he rasped. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”  
“I do have many questions”, the man drawled. “And I _should_ arrest you, but if I do I’ll have to take your post as D.A.D.A teacher. You obviously are a Dark Wizard, and that alone is enough to put you under arrest.”  
“Should I take it that you’re not going to arrest me?”  
“Not until you’ve explained everything. From the beginning. I had the time to take a look at your researches. Horcruxes, sealing power, returning one’s soul to a body… Let’s just say it’s something I’ve _personally_ experienced. I won’t condemn you before I’ve heard you out.”

Kuroo nodded feebly.

“How’s Kyoutani-san?” he whispered, his voice still strained.  
“You saved his life, though I have no idea how”, Potter replied. “He woke up earlier, and he’s sleeping for now. When I returned, you were passed out on top of him. Care to tell me what happened?”

Kuroo was about to ask him to wait until he felt better, when there was a loud cry.

“Mr. POTTER”, the voice barked, “you will leave my patients to recover and take your business ELSEWHERE.”

The man winced and quickly stepped back, and Kuroo wheezed a laugh out when he heard him walk out so fast he was almost running. For now, he needed calm.

*

It took two days before Kuroo and Kyoutani were allowed to leave the infirmary – two days during which they solely slept, nagged by Mrs. Pomfrey. Kuroo still hadn’t told Kyoutani about the soul bond he’d made, mostly because when one of them was awake, the other had been sleeping. Auror Potter hadn’t been allowed in the infirmary in the meantime, and Kuroo knew from Pomfrey he had taken this opportunity to step in his shoes as D.A.D.A. teacher and see his kids.

Kuroo sighed blissfully when they stepped out in the cold, sunshine bathing them. He grinned when he noticed a small committee waiting for them. The little group he had given detention to was standing there, looking slightly worried. Oikawa was grey and looked sickly, Iwaizumi holding him up, his arms wrapped around him. One look at them, and Kuroo remembered that night was the full moon. Oikawa probably was feeling very bad.

“Come with me”, he simply said, staring at them. “You too, Kyoutani-san. Auror Potter will want a word with us, and you ought to know what happened.” He then smiled to the others. “Thank you for coming, kids. Keep out of trouble, okay?”

They grinned, though he didn’t quite trust James Potter’s smile, and let them be on their way. They went to his office, down in the dungeons. The doors had been sealed back with powerful spells, but it didn’t take long for Kuroo to make his way through them, followed by the three students. When he opened the last door, it was to find Auror Potter sitting at his desk, perusing documents. The man looked up when they entered, and stood up when he noticed Oikawa.

“Let me help”, he said with a gentle smile, easing his weight from Iwaizumi’s shoulders.  
“There’s a cot in the corner over there”, Kuroo said, pointing with his chin. “You’ll stay here tonight and let us take care of you, okay?”

Oikawa nodded weakly, sitting on the cot, and Iwaizumi knelt by his side, pulling the Wolfbane potion from his cloak and handing it, once open, to his lover. In the meantime, Kuroo had pulled a screen to give them some privacy, while Kyoutani sat in a chair near his desk. He was still a bit pale, but he looked way better.

“Now let’s have a nice chat”, Auror Potter said, coming back to the desk. _“Muffliato.”_  
“I hope you haven’t disturbed my files too much, I hate it when people mess up my things”, Kuroo said, peering at the open books and parchments.   
“Don’t worry”, the Auror said with a grin. “So, care to explain, Mister Dark Wizard?”

Patiently, Kuroo told again the same story he’d told Kyoutani on that fateful night, while the Auror listened, nodded and studiously took notes. Once Kuroo was done, Harry took off his glasses to rub his eyes.

“I understand your motives, and I can’t decently stop you from trying to save your friends, though I don’t approve of your methods.” He put his glasses back on and looked blearily at Kyoutani. “Now, about you, Kyoutani. What happened the other day, exactly?”

Kyoutani shrugged.

“No idea. One second you were barging through the door, the other I was waking up in an hospital bed.”  
“You almost died”, Harry said softly. “And I have no idea how Kuroo saved you, but it wasn’t ordinary magic.”  
“I’m afraid neither of you will like my explanation”, Kuroo said with a grimace. “There wasn’t much time and it was all I could do, so keep that in mind.” He took a breath. “I… I bonded our souls. My life-force is what saved you, Kyoutani-san.” He then looked at Auror Potter. “Soul-bonding is ancient magic, but… I couldn’t do it the exact way it has to be done. I have no idea what the consequences for both of us will be.”

Harry stared at him with a wondrous expression on his face.

“What _exactly_ is your problem with souls, Kuroo? Why must you always be dabbing into soul magic?”

Kuroo knew he wasn’t supposed to answer that, and Harry sighed. Kyoutani was staring at Kuroo like he’d grown a third head.

“Why would you do something like that?” he finally asked, his voice gruff. “What does it matter to you if I live or die?”

Kuroo stared at him. He had the hint of an answer, but he really didn’t like it, and didn’t want to investigate it any further. The warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest wasn’t something he wished to ponder on – emotions and feelings were fleeting at best, dangerous and most of the time incomprehensible.

“I have my reasons”, he finally settled on saying.

Kyoutani stared at him.

“I don’t know if I should say ‘thank you’ or ‘fuck you’.”

Harry Potter stood up.

“Now that this is cleared, I’ll see how I can help. I’ll come by on a regular basis to check up on you – both of you. And I’ll keep Aurors off your track, so use this time wisely. There are three people that still need saving.”  
“Thank you”, Kuroo said, bowing his head to him. “I am indebted to you.”

Once the Auror was gone, Kyoutani turned to Kuroo.

“Tell me everything about this soul-bond thing. Is it forever?”  
“I told you, it’s a twisted, dark version of a soul-bond. I’m not sure what it’ll do. I’ll take notes of my observations. Now”, he crossed his arms, “pick up your wand. I’ll teach you another spell. You still need to train.”

Kyoutani huffed, but he knew he was right. He practised the Bubble Head charm until he got it perfectly – and by that time, he was completely exhausted. Kuroo had been taking notes all throughout his training session, humming to himself.

“You managed to do such a delicate spell amazingly quickly, Kyoutani-san”, he finally said. “It’s curious. Cast _Incendio_ on the door, please.”

Kyoutani looked at him, doubtful about his sanity, but obeyed and cast his spell at the door. Instead of catching fire, a powerful blast sent the door into the opposite wall with a gust of wind. Kuroo nodded, repaired the damage as well as possible and went to check on Oikawa and Iwaizumi. The Slytherin boy was becoming greyer and greyer, and it was obvious he wouldn’t leave this room before the following day. Kuroo conjured a tray of food and water from the kitchens and patted Iwaizumi’s shoulder.

“Kyoutani-san and I will be going now”, he said. “Take care. If you need anything, touch this”, he said, pointing to a small dagger nearby – it was old and rusty, and humming with a powerful spell. “I’ll know you need help right away. The office will be heavily warded, so you won’t be able to leave before tomorrow morning, when I’ll come to let you out. Is that okay with you?”

Iwaizumi nodded, brushing back Oikawa’s damp hair.

“Thank you, professor”, he said in a soft voice.

Kuroo lifted an eyebrow, and transfigured a bed from a couple of chairs, near Oikawa’s cot. That being done, he beckoned Kyoutani to follow him, and they made it back to the main corridors of the castle.

“How were your lessons, so far?”  
“Interesting”, Kyoutani replied. “I guess catching up on homework will be a hassle.”  
“Kentarou!” a voice called from behind them, and Kyoutani spun on his heels.

Yachi was running toward him, her books clutched to her chest, a huge grin on her face. She was completely out of breath and tomato red when she reached them.

“I’m glad to see you’re okay, Kentarou”, she said with a bright smile. “I took notes for you, if you want to catch up on the lessons you missed, and Asahi is ready to help if you need. I heard you’re better at harder spells than the simplest? It’s awesome!”

Kyoutani couldn’t help his smile at her enthusiasm.

“Thank you, Hitoka”, he replied. “I think I’ll come gather your notes to work this afternoon, is that alright with you?”  
“Okay, but we have Flying lessons, don’t forget!”  
“I’m still too tired to ride a broom safely”, Kyoutani answered truthfully, scratching his cheek. “I may be out, but I still need to rest.”  
“I see! Okay then. Take care!”

She ran back, leaving them alone, and Kyoutani breathed. He was more sociable now that he was older, but it didn’t mean it was easy or anything. And he didn’t want to frighten the young girl who had been so kind to him.

“Are you really that tired?” Kuroo asked, concerned.  
“I’m not up for flying”, Kyoutani nodded. “I wouldn’t trust myself on a broom.”  
“How about a stroll? There is still plenty to see, and there are many things I’d like to discuss with you. I can tell you about standard soul-bonds, history and magic that you might find useful. I don’t have any class scheduled today.”

Kyoutani thought for a second before he nodded.

“That sounds good. A bit of exercise will be good for me.”

The rest of the day was spent in pleasant chatter and a deep exchange of knowledge, that made Kyoutani feel like his head was going to burst. He managed to catch up quite quickly on his lessons, and going back to classes on the following day felt good. Settling back into a scholarly routine felt weird at first, but he soon found he quite liked learning magic, and though the students were younger than him, his fellow Hufflepuffs were pretty fond of him. He spent lots of time studying with James, Albus and Scorpius, Yachi soon adding herself to their weird group. Oikawa and Iwaizumi tutored them when needed, and his lessons of advanced magic with Kuroo let him use his pent-up magic power. Strangely, since he’d soul-bonded with the other man, his magic was a lot less hieratic, as if he’d finally mastered it. A part of him guessed it was his bond to Kuroo that grounded his power and let him use it as he wished, but he couldn’t be sure. Either way, he felt contented with each passing day. Maybe, _maybe_ magic wasn’t so bad, after all.

*

“Come _on_ , Kentarou, you can’t stay at school for the first weekend at Hogsmeade!” James said, stomping his foot to mark his words.  
“The kid is right, you know”, Oikawa said from where he was sitting, combing his hair carefully. “I’d show the two of you around, but I have a date with Iwa-chan.” He smiled at the thought, and Kyoutani snorted.  
“Like hell I’m going! I’m not a kid, you know.”  
“How disappointing”, a voice replied, amused. “And here I was about to offer you to go together, to see this Rosmerta lady I keep hearing about.”

Kyoutani turned, scowling, and smiled when he saw who was standing there, clad in his usual dark robes. Kuroo and him had gotten a lot closer, with their working sessions and tutoring hours dispatched through the day and until late at night. Maybe it also had something to do with their soul-bond, though he wasn’t sure.

“What, professor, you’re going too?” he asked, half-joking, half-serious.

Kuroo nodded.

“There is… _someone_ I need to meet there. I’d appreciate your company.”

Kyoutani knew how to read between the lines: something new had come up, either on his chase about Horcruxes, or to help with his friends’ souls. He had to be by his side. He gave him a curt nod.

“Alright, I’ll come. Actually, since you’re here, about you help us with this: Animagus. Sounds quite complicated.”  
“We thought maybe Kyoutani could do it, since it’s so complicated”, Oikawa explained. “I would try myself, if not for…” He bit his lips. If not for his werewolf problem.  
“You’d be too young anyway, Oikawa-kun”, Kuroo replied gently. “It’s a very long and complicated process, Kyoutani-kun, and you are nowhere near the level required to become one yet. But if you still wish to take your chance later, I’ll accompany you each step of the way.”

The kids, and even Kyoutani, looked disappointed at that. Kuroo’s smile twitched nervously, before he sighed, groaning.

“ _Fine._ But you’d better not spread this around. I want to keep my dignity.”

And suddenly, he was no longer there. Instead, a small, black Pomeranian dog wagged its tail and Kyoutani laughed, picking him up. He gently petted the dog Kuroo, which had settled comfortably against his chest. Oikawa and James were slack-jawed, staring at them, and Kuroo yipped. Somehow, the sound was way too adorable to belong to their D.A.D.A. teacher. Kuroo turned back as he leaped out of Kyoutani’s arms, brushing his clothes.

After that, Hogsmeade weekend came quite quickly, and Kyoutani met Kuroo at the gates of Hogwarts. Kyoutani had ditched his uniform for a jean, a t-shirt and a thick jacket, while Kuroo still wore dark robes, as usual. Kyoutani eyed him critically.

“Have you ever been among Muggles?” he finally asked.  
“Barely”, Kuroo replied. “I’m a Pureblood, and I never had many occasions to meddle. But I can get by, if it’s not something too complicated.”

While talking, they had left the castle to go down to Hogsmeade – the place was swarmed with third years enjoying the novelty of this liberty in the village, and they quickly stepped away from the crowd. Kuroo guided them to a pub – the Hog’s Head Inn, which was repulsively filthy. Kyoutani screeched to a halt.

“No. Nope. I’m not going in there. It’s _filthy_.”  
“C’mon, I didn’t take you for the delicate type”, Kuroo said with a laugh.  
“I’m not, but this place is downright dirty. I hate this.”

Kuroo rolled his eyes and pulled on his sleeve to guide him inside. Kyoutani scrunched his nose but followed him to a table in a corner, out of sight. While no one was looking at him, he muttered a few cleaning spells he’d learned while studying, putting a lot of power behind them to be sure they’d work. He knew, of course, that cleaning spells were nowhere near as good as housework, but it was all he had.

“What are you muttering about?” Kuroo whispered to him. “Stop it, you’ll make us look suspicious.”  
“This place is suspicious”, Kyoutani retorted, waving his hand as if to illustrate his words – and casting a silent cleaning spell on the walls and windows as he did so.

Kuroo jolted at the sudden light pouring through the now clean windows, as half of the inn, but he immediately turned to him.

“I felt your magic”, he hissed. “That was you, wasn’t it?”  
“What, will you give me detention for making this place at least half- _decent?”_ Kyoutani retorted.  
“No Kyoutani-kun”, Kuroo replied, taking a breath, “but I didn’t hear you say the spell.”  
“I didn’t.”  
“You didn’t? You _didn’t say the spell?”_ Kuroo said, astounded.  
“What, is it bad? You’d rather I do it like this”, he said, raising his wand. “ _SCOURGIFY_ ”, he yelled, pointing at the floor that had accumulated so much filth and dirt it looked like there wasn’t even a stone-floor, and turning it a shiny shade of grey.

That definitely attracted gazes, and Kuroo couldn’t stop himself from face-palming.

“I can’t believe you”, he growled.  
“I can hardly believe it either”, a voice drawled beside them, “but after this little show, I suggest we take our little rendezvous elsewhere.”

The man who had talked was covered from head to toe under a dark cape, and extending a hand to Kuroo.

“Lead the way”, the young professor sighed, grabbing Kyoutani’s arm. “I’ll kill this idiot later.”

Kyoutani felt the familiar and oh-so-uncomfortable crush of Disapparition before he stumbled on solid ground. He managed not to get sick, and after some time the feeling passed. He was standing before a large portal, a lane leading to a large manor. He followed Kuroo and the unknown man to it without saying a word – he rather liked the manor, when compared to the shabby inn.

“Welcome to Malfoy Manor”, the man said as the door opened and he took off his cloak.  
“Thank you, Mr. Malfoy”, Kuroo replied for both of them as a small creature – a house-elf, Kyoutani had learnt – hurried to take their cloaks and jackets.  
“Back already? Didn’t you have some meeting- Oh, you brought your meeting here. Welcome to Malfoy Manor”, a woman said as she appeared at a door.

Kyoutani tilted his head curiously.

“Are you related to Scorpius? Scorpius Malfoy?”  
“Our grandson, yes”, the woman replied with a warm smile. “I’m Narcissa Malfoy. And you are?”  
“Kentarou. Kyoutani. I’m, uh. A student at Hogwarts. Your grandson is a friend of mine.”

There was a new glint in the eyes of their hosts.

“Could you be that newcomer _The Prophet_ talked about? The Muggleborn boy?”

Lucius Malfoy’s gaze was hard when it settled back on Kuroo, as if accusing him of bringing such filth into his house, but a warning gaze from his wife shut him up.

“Narcissa, would you entertain our guest while I talk with Mr. Kuroo?”

Kyoutani almost protested that he was there to listen too, but a look at Kuroo told him to follow with this new plan. Narcissa lead him to the drawing-room she had just exited.

“You are lucky, Draco was just visiting. He’ll be delighted to know you know his son.”  
“You have a lovely mansion”, Kyoutani settled for saying, not knowing how to behave.

He had a feeling he wasn’t exactly welcome there. Still, he stepped into the drawing-room: a man was sitting in an armchair there, with white-blond hair tied down in a braid on his shoulder. And he was the spitting image of an older Scorpius.

“I take it you’re Draco Malfoy, Scorpius’s father”, he said with a smile.  
“Indeed”, Draco replied, raising an eyebrow. “And you are?”  
“A friend of his, Kyoutani Kentarou. Though I only followed Kuroo here.”  
“Ah yes, Scorpius told me about you. He said you were very kind to him, and helped him with lessons he didn’t understand.”  
“Your son is kind and brave”, Kyoutani replied awkwardly. “He helped me when I was in need too, so we’re even.”

Draco eyed him carefully and folded the _Prophet_ he’d been reading before Narcissa and Kyoutani walked in. Kyoutani fidgeted, feeling that he had said something he shouldn’t have. He opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and opened it again.

“If I said something offensive, I’m sorry”, he finally settled on.  
“How would complimenting my son be offensive?” Draco replied with an amused smirk. “I’ve known for quite some time now that you Muggleborns have a… _peculiar_ vision of things.” Draco glimpsed at his mother, and his smile widened. “Though the same can’t be said of all Purebloods.”

At Narcissa’s motion, Kyoutani sat down in an armchair, not daring to lean into it. He felt on edge here.

“I’ve heard the wildest rumours about you”, Draco finally said. “Some said you are one of the most powerful wizards of all times. Others that you are an average wizard, only lacking self-control. I also heard you struggle with the simplest spells, but have a flawless Patronus. All of this seems a bit far-fetched, to be honest.”  
“It’s not”, Kyoutani retorted. “I don’t know much about power, but Kuroo is always astounded by it. I do lack self-control still, and I do have a harder time with simple spells, but harder and more precise magic is my area.” He shrugged. “This doesn’t matter much to me. If I can’t master my magic, I’ll have it removed.”

Those last words startled Draco, who flinched violently, a spark of terror in his grey eyes.

“What?! No, you can’t do that! It’s… it’s _unnatural!”_  
“It is indeed”, Kuroo’s voice confirmed, “and I sure hope to talk him out of this sooner rather than later. I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need you, Kyoutani-kun, and I’d appreciate your witnessing, Malfoy-san.” He turned to Kyoutani. “I asked Lucius for his expertise on our soul-bond, and he assures me he can remove it. It will be safer for us both to get rid of this… ill-made bond.”

Kyoutani followed without any hesitation; he trusted Kuroo’s decisions when it came to magic. Draco looked disapproving for a second, before he schooled his features back to an impenetrable mask. The three of them walked through the manor’s corridors to a bare room, where Kyoutani and Kuroo laid down on the wood flooring.

“It won’t be a pleasant experience”, Lucius warned.

There was a hungry, curious spark in his eyes as he observed them. He discussed some things with Draco in a low voice, though Draco’s voice turned into an angry hiss at some point before he settled down between them, laying several layers of protective spells over them.

And suddenly, Kyoutani felt like someone had thrust their hand into his chest and were trying to tear his heart out, the pain blazing and turning his vision white as he yelled, his body seizing up. After that, he blacked-out. When he came to, he was still on the ground, but Draco was muttering spells over him that he recognized as being the same as Pomfrey’s.

“How are you feeling?”, the blond man asked.  
“Awful”, Kyoutani grimaced. “Like an old shoe that has been chewed on by a dog and then left to rot in the garden.”  
“What a lovely description”, Draco ironized. “You’ll be fine, the bond has been broken and uprooted. Nothing remains, though you and Mr. Kuroo will have matching scars. Curse scars never disappear.”  
“Yeah, I’ve heard that”, Kyoutani gulped, blinking his eyes.  
“That power…” a hoarse voice interrupted them, and Draco looked up as Kyoutani turned his head to look. “So much power”, Lucius said, pale and feverish, looking a bit out of it. “I had never seen such a power before”, he said, gasping. “Greater than the Dark Lord himself!”

Kyoutani was about to retort when he noticed that all the wizards present were staring at him, astounded. He gulped, feeling suddenly very nervous, which wasn’t really helping his upset stomach.

“That’s… That’s big, isn’t it?”

Draco had turned ghostly pale with fright, and Lucius started to cackle madly. The sound made the younger man flinch, and he pulled out his wand, aiming it at his own father.

“You two should go now”, he managed to say between clenched teeth. “I can handle my father. He’s never been good at dealing with power, and it’s gotten worse since the end of the war.”  
“Come on”, Kuroo said, helping Kyoutani up. “Thank you for your help, both of you. We will be going now.”

They stopped just to pay their respects to Narcissa, hastily fleeing the residence. As soon as they felt the Anti-Apparition wards no longer held them back, Kuroo grabbed Kyoutani firmly and Apparated them back to Hogsmeade.

“How do you feel?” he asked Kyoutani, cupping his head in his hands.  
“A bit better than before”, Kyoutani replied. “Still nauseous, though.”  
“Good, it means you’re alive.”

Kuroo was about to walk them back to Hogwarts when Kyoutani grabbed his arm with a trembling but steely hand.

“Did you know I had this much power?”

Kuroo licked his lips.

“I knew you were incredibly powerful, but more than Voldemort himself? No, no I didn’t. You might even be more powerful than Dumbledore, or Grindelwald. Seeing as all of them are dead, there is no way to know.”

Kyoutani nodded, shivering slightly.

“I’m scared”, he whispered, barely audible. “I’m so fucking scared.”

Kuroo felt his heart break in a million of pieces. This young man had learnt not even a month ago that he was a wizard, and events kept accumulating around him. He held such an immense power, and yet he was so young, and so lost… Sending pretences flying, Kuroo pulled him against him and cradled his head against his shoulder as Kyoutani broke down in painful, terrified sobs.

“It’ll be alright”, he replied in a soothing voice. “I’ll be with you, each step of the way. I don’t need a soul-bond to watch over you, you know that, right?”  
“I want my mom”, Kyoutani mumbled between sobs in his shoulders. “I want to go home.”

The older wizard felt the strain breaking the bond at put on him, both mental and physical. Kyoutani’s mother had passed away six years ago; he knew it from his searching through his documents.

“We can’t yet”, Kuroo said, his voice soft and comforting. “C’mon, let’s go back to the castle”, he added, keeping Kyoutani tucked against his side as they made their way back to the castle.

He managed to bring him back to his rooms without meeting any student or professor, though they did meet the Fat Friar, who respectfully kept away. Kyoutani was a complete mess, and Kuroo started to fear another bout of accidental magic, though he’d gotten better at controlling it lately. Hurriedly, he went to his own rooms to grab a potion to get him to sleep. In the short time it took him to get the potion and come back, Kyoutani’s state had deteriorated and was on the verge of going into another fit of unleashed power. And this time, Kuroo was powerless. Breaking the bond and then Apparating them had taken its toll on him. He couldn’t save him. He had only a small window to take a decision before it was too late. Taking a breath, he ran to the Potions Master’s office and nearly broke down the door in his haste to knock.

“Come in instead of blasting my door”, a voice answered.

An elderly wizard was sitting inside, but it hadn’t been him who had answered: it was a young woman, who had probably graduated not so long ago. She was gorgeous, but right at that moment, it wasn’t what mattered. Both of them seemed startled by the sudden and dishevelled appearance of the D.A.D.A. teacher.

“Please”, Kuroo said, ready to break down, “please tell me you have a Draught of Living Death stashed somewhere.” He was trembling violently. “It’s the only way, or he will die, and all of us with him.”

That got them to react, and the woman hastily went through a door and came back with a phial.

“It’s for Kyoutani, isn’t it?” she asked in a soft voice. “Professor Slughorn explained everything to me. Here, have it.”  
“Thank you” Kuroo gasped before running back to Kyoutani.

He uncorked the phial and quickly poured the potion into his mouth, watching him cough and go very still as the potion took effect. The buzz of magic stopped, and Kuroo collapsed on his knees.

“I’m sorry”, he gasped. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”

Soon after, the Potion Master let herself into the room. She took a look at the two wizards, one still as death on the bed, the other kneeling on the floor beside him, and closed the distance between them.

“I’ll prepare the antidote, so you can use it when you’re ready”, she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “And I’ll handle updating the Headmistress.”  
“Thank you, Shimizu-san”, Kuroo said. “I didn’t know what to do anymore”, he added softly, squeezing Kyoutani’s motionless hand.  
“And you did perfectly well”, Kiyoko replied. “It was an emergency, you saved his life, and the students’ too. Don’t blame yourself.”

After that, she went back, and the old man who had been with her stepped in and settled into a chair. The professor Slughorn was retiring after all this time teaching, but he was forming his replacement; the talented and dedicated Kiyoko Shimizu, which meant there were two Potions Masters this year at Hogwarts. Kiyoko had only arrived recently, and hadn’t seen any of Kyoutani’s incidents. The professor, however, had seen them all – and he’d lived through two Wizarding Wars.

“This power will be the death of him”, the older man finally said. “Whether because he’ll lose control, or because someone will be jealous of it. You know that.”

Kuroo knew, yes, he knew, and it made him so, so angry he couldn’t handle it.

“I won’t let this happen”, he replied, seething.  
“Then stop staying mopping here, and do something about it. There is nothing to fear while he sleeps. I believe you can ward this room efficiently.”

Kuroo looked up to meet Slughorn’s gaze, and saw an old man who had seen countless good, talented youngsters meet an unjust and untimely death. A tired man who still hadn’t given up on humanity.

“You’re right”, he finally said. I’ll do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it so far, even though it's a rarepair and I just went wild with my idea! Don't hesitate to tell me your impressions and guesses.


	5. The Unspeakable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short update BECAUSE.

The following day, Kyoutani’s room was warded so heavily no one would have dared, or even wanted to get close to the door. Kuroo threw himself into his work, teaching his classes and researching how to save the sleeping wizard, his friends’ trapped souls and Ushijima. It didn’t take long before he looked pale and sickly, despite the students and professors best efforts to help him and cheer him up. Albus, Scorpius, James, Yachi, Tooru and Hajime all missed Kyoutani’s gruff affection, and the easy, charming smile of their D.A.D.A. professor. Harry visited regularly, getting increasingly worried about the seemingly inextricable situation. Halloween came and went, and Muggleborn students started to talk about a new kind of Sleeping Beauty – the tale was, after all, quite fitting. Days went by, weeks, as Kuroo drowned in his work, seemingly not any closer to find a solution to any of his problems. Each day, he stopped by Kyoutani’s side to tell him about his day, not knowing if the young man could hear him or not. Daishou, Kyoutani’s friend, had learnt about the situation and took days off to visit his sleeping friend and try to help Kuroo.

Christmas arrived with no amelioration, and Lucius Malfoy was sent to St. Mungo, after his obsession for Kyoutani’s power was declared unhealthy. Kuroo was grading papers and trying not to mull over all of this when someone knocked at his door.

“Yes?”  
“It’s Scorpius Malfoy, Sir. My father gave me a letter for you.”  
“Come in”, Kuroo answered, setting aside his papers and rubbing his eyes. He felt tired, so tired.

The little boy walked in and handed him a thick envelope.

“He said this could help you.”  
“Thank you, Malfoy-kun. Can you thank him on my behalf?”  
“Of course sir”, Scorpius replied. He paused for a moment. “Is Kentarou getting any better?”  
“The Draught put him in a stasis”, Kuroo replied, grabbing his opener. “There is nothing to fear for now.” He tried his best to smile to the kid. “Don’t worry about this, Scorpius. He’ll be fine. Focus on your studies.”  
“Yes, sir”, Scorpius replied, exiting his office.

Kuroo read the letter attentively, his frown deepening with each sentence. Then, as he realized what he was reading, his heart started to beat faster. He re-read the letter a second and a third time before he sent his chair flying in his haste to stand up. He almost ran to McGonagall’s office, and managed not to only because the students would stare.

“You are too pale and too thin”, the Headmistress snapped as soon as she saw him.  
“I need to contact Auror Potter immediately”, he said without caring, “please.”

The Headmistress observed him attentively above her glasses, sighed and said “alright”.  
“Take the Floo”, she added, “to the Ministry. Auror Potter should be there, and if he’s not, you can always find Auror Weasley. He’ll be able to contact him.”  
“Thank you”, Kuroo said hurriedly, before throwing a pinch of Floo powder in the hearth. “To the Ministry of Magic!”

He didn’t even pause to think about the fact that Hogwarts’ Headmaster’s Floo was connected to the Ministry, and instead rushed inside. Skipping all formalities thanks to that, he went as fast as he could to the Auror Department, asking for Auror Potter on his way there. A Junior Auror led him to an office where he knocked and entered without waiting. Harry Potter was sitting there, writing a report, but he sat up as soon as he recognized him.

“Bad news?” he asked, concern lacing his voice.  
“No”, Kuroo gasped. “But I need your help.”  
“You sure do look like it”, Harry replied carefully. “Come in and explain.”  
“I need to find a good, a very good Legilimens, and I’d need you to contact my country to transfer… to transfer Ushijima Wakatoshi, along with the bodies of my friends. Please.”  
“Sit down and explain”, Harry repeated, unfazed by Kuroo’s hurry. “I need to know everything to be able to help you.”

Kuroo all but collapsed into the chair.

“I may have found a way”, he articulated clearly, “to save Ushijima Wakatoshi from himself, restore Akaashi Keiji and Bokuto Koutarou to their bodies, and put Kyoutani Kentarou’s magic under control.”

Harry’s eyes twinkled as he pulled out a small notebook to write down names and other information.

“How do you intend to do that?”  
“With Kyoutani’s power. He may be the only one powerful enough to pull this off, and it will definitely drain a part of his power. He will be able to control it, while remaining tremendously powerful.”  
“But Kyoutani is currently asleep”, Harry replied, “and lifting the spell could kill him.”  
“Which is why this all need to be done while he’s sleeping.” Kuroo paused, taking a breath, calming his thumping heart as he gathered his thoughts to explain his mad idea – the mad idea he’d had reading Draco Malfoy’s report. “Listen. His mind should still be accessible to a good Legilimens. Sadly, I’ve never been good at it myself, which is why we need one. Once we’ve made contact with him, I can ask him to perform a blood bond to have access to his power. I know him enough to know he’ll accept. With that power, I’ll be able to restore my friends to their bodies, who are currently slumbering in an hospital back in my country. I can also do the necessary to save my friend, make his Horcrux part of him, make his soul whole again. All these actions will demand a sacrifice of power – power that can never be gained back. It will make a significate dent in Kyoutani’s power, and this time, his body and mind should be able to handle it. Which mean we’ll be able to wake him up.”

Harry stared at him in silence for a moment.

“Are you sure you’re not Slytherin, really?”  
“Cusp”, Kuroo grimaced. “So, can you help me?”

Harry grinned.

“Hell yeah, I can and I will! So, here is how we’ll proceed…”

*

Kyoutani was floating. He was floating in a dark place, until he was not. He opened his eyes.

“Where am I?” he asked, watching the stony archways.  
“Hogwarts”, a voice answered. “At least, that’s what it looks like. It’s not really Hogwarts. I think this is the place where we want to be the most.”

He sat up, realized he had been laying on the floor of the Great Hall, and faced the stranger. He was older than he was, but still incredibly sexy, with dark hair and grey eyes. The man grinned and offered him a hand to help him up.

“You stumbled through the Veil, too?”

Kyoutani frowned.

“The Veil? Which Veil? I lost consciousness in my bedchambers and now here I am. Who’re you?”  
“I’m Sirius Black”, the man answered. “And this place is… the antechamber of death. We’re stuck here. We cannot go forward; we cannot go back. We’re stuck in the Between.”

Kyoutani sucked in a breath. Panicking would be no good.

“How many people are here?”  
“Just you and me. It’s been just me for a while now, but I think times flows differently here. To be fair, time doesn’t flow. It doesn’t exist.” Sirius eyed him. “Aren’t you a bit old to wear Hogwarts robes?”

Kyoutani nodded. He’d been wearing his dresses above his Muggle clothes when Kuroo walked him back to Hogwarts.

“It’s a long story.”  
“Like I said, time isn’t a thing here”, Sirius said with a smile.  
“Can we use magic here?”  
“No”, Sirius replied immediately. “However, you can see your power here. Just open a door.”

Kyoutani arched an eyebrow, unconvinced. The man sighed and went to the closest door and opened it.

“Here, it’s mine.”

Kyoutani couldn’t describe with words what he perceived with his mind. It was like standing in a field, like standing inside of the sun, like standing at the shore of a wide lake. It was power – a lot of it, but carefully chiselled and controlled. It was calm and peaceful. The man closed the door and motioned to him to open it. Slowly, Kyoutani reached for the handle and opened the door. It felt like a gush of wind whipped his body, like he was in the middle of a sea storm. It felt like he was flying inside a thundercloud, with electricity blazing around him. It was too much, too uncontrolled, and he slammed the door shut.

“Wow”, Sirius said. “Your life can’t be easy every day.”  
“I’m here precisely because of this”, Kyoutani replied bitterly. “What happened to you?”

Sirius proceeded to explain how he’d find himself there, adding that he felt like he’d been there for a few hours and asking about the battle with the Death Eaters. Kyoutani did his best to explain he’d been thought dead for twenty years, and that the war had ended, though he didn’t know the peculiarities of it. He added that Harry Potter was fine, and something crossed the older man’s face.

Kyoutani quickly realized Sirius was right – time didn’t exist. They could talk for what felt like hours, and still feel like no more than a few seconds had gone by. Who knew for how long he’d been there?

“Kyoutani”, a voice he didn’t know called. “Kyoutani, can you hear me?”

He looked around. There was no one else than Sirius.

“I can hear you. Who are you, and where are you?”  
“I can hear you too”, the voice said, sounding relieved. “But I can’t see you. Listen attentively. You have been given a Draught of Living Death. Your body is currently in a stasis where your power is inactive. I’m an Unspeakable, my name is Sugawara Koushi, and I’m using Legilimency to contact you, on the behalf of Kuroo Tetsurou.”  
“Kuroo! Is Kuroo fine?”  
“He could use some food, but he is fine. He has asked me to give you some information. He found a way to save his friends, along with saving you. However, to do that, you’d have to complete a blood-bond. It will let him use your power, but you cannot get it back once it’s used. Do you agree to this?”  
“Yes”, Kyoutani replied immediately. “And I’m taking you back with me”, he added for Sirius.

There was a short moment of silence, but soon the voice called again.

“Kyoutani, I’m sorry but the blood-bond didn’t work. Your defences are too strong.”  
“I don’t know how to lower them!” Kyoutani replied, panicking. “What about the soul-bond? Kuroo did it once without my agreement!”

There was another moment of silence, and then a floating light appeared in front of Kyoutani. Soon, a hand appeared out of it – a hand he could recognize at first glance.

“Kuroo!” he called, grabbing the hand and pulling.

The light grew stronger and he had to close his eyes. When he opened them again, Kuroo was standing there, though more transparent than Sirius and Kyoutani were. The wizard smiled widely and grabbed Kyoutani by the lapels of his coat, before pressing their lips together.

“I missed you, I was so worried”, Kuroo said. “Sorry”, he added when he realized what he’d just done. “Sorry. Take me to your power?”

Kyoutani nodded, too surprised to want to focus on that awkward kiss, and gestured to Sirius.

“I’m taking him back with us.”  
“Where’s your body?” Kuroo asked Sirius, unfazed.  
“It got here with me. I disappeared completely, soul and body.”  
“That will take even more of your power, Kyoutani”, Kuroo warned.  
“It was not a question, Kuroo. I’m taking him back.”

Kuroo smiled.

“I know it wasn’t a question. I was just informing you. Now, show me your power so I can pull you both out of there.”

Kyoutani led him to the door and watched as Kuroo stepped right into his power. The wizard gave him a reassuring nod, and Kyoutani closed the door behind him. Nothing happened for a moment, but then again, time didn’t exist. Sirius looked at him.

“I feel weird. It tickles, I’m warm and I’m cold.”  
“Sirius, you’re fading”, Kyoutani said, horrified, as the wizard grew clearer and less tangible.  
“I am indeed”, Sirius remarked, completely detached. He smiled. “I’ve never felt this good.”  
“Sirius!”

But Sirius was no longer there, Kuroo was standing in the midst of his power, and Kyoutani was all alone. The door opened again and Kuroo stepped out, looking worn out, before he disappeared as well. Kyoutani’s heart went up to his throat. Was he stuck here by himself now? What had happened? What had failed? What could he do? What-

*

Kuroo didn’t even glance to the wizard who had appeared out of thin air next to him. He pushed back his damp hair, grabbed the phial Shimizu had given him, dabbed some over his lips and pressed them to Kyoutani’s. He felt like his heart would stop in the interminable seconds it took for the potion to take effect, but finally, he blinked his eyes.

“Kyoutani”, Kuroo breathed, a hand on his cheek. He bubbled a laugh as he started to cry in relief. “I’ve been so worried”, he mumbled against his collarbones.  
“Kuroo”, Kyoutani rasped, and then frowned. “You look like hell.”

Sounds started to catch up to him, and he turned his head slightly, realizing the flurry of activities around them. Kuroo gently helped him sit up, tucking him against his chest.

“Where are we?” Kyoutani asked. “Sirius!” he startled then, seeing the wizard laying on the floor, a bit dazed, the surrounding wizards staring at him and not daring to come any closer.  
“Hey, hey, keep calm, you’ve been sleeping for three months, your body needs to recover!” Kuroo intercepted him, holding him back. “Sirius is safe, now. He just needs some time.”

Kyoutani breathed and took in the faces surrounding them, both new and familiar. Harry was kneeling next to Sirius, deathly pale, his lips pinched. He looked like he’d seen a ghost, and from what Kyoutani had gathered of their common story, it was close enough. He quickly identified the Unspeakable, who was taking notes and asking questions in a very soft voice, his face gentle and kind. As he looked farther, he saw three men he had never seen. One of them looked like he was tall and broad, but he was currently rolled in a ball and crying his eyes out, his hand clasped around a Galleon. Another was noisily puking in a bucket, and he was so pale and looked so sick Kyoutani felt bad for him. He probably would have been exceptionally handsome in other circumstances. The third looked a bit green, but he was valiantly drinking a potion from Mrs. Pomfrey.

“We are in the Room of Requirements”, Kuroo said to Kyoutani. “Your presences will remain secret until you’re all well enough to come out.” He smiled, relieved and joyful, and it looked ten years younger. “My friends are saved, and its thanks to you. I can never thank you enough for this.”  
“They are your friends?” Kyoutani asked, slowly stretching himself to test his body – he felt weak, but less than expected.  
“Yes”, Kuroo breathed. “Ushijima’s soul was made whole again”, he said, pointing to the crying man. “Akaashi and Bokuto were reunited with their bodies”, he added, motioning to the two other men. “You saved Sirius Black, and now you should be able to control your power.”  
“Sirius”, Harry finally gasped, falling to his knees. “Sirius, you’re alive!”  
“Harry!” the older man said with a smile, pulling him into a tight embrace. “Kyoutani told me”, he whispered in his ear. “I’m so proud of you, Harry.”

Before long, all the rescued were sleeping tightly, exhausted. The Unspeakable had gone back to the Ministry with his notes, and the Headmistress had left the Room for her office. Kuroo had downright refused to leave Kyoutani’s side and was sleeping next to him, a hand over his heart, as if he was afraid to lose him again. Harry wasn’t sleeping, instead he was watching over his godfather, his eyes rimmed with red and looking very emotional and completely wrecked. It was easy to assume Sirius’s return was a shock to him, as it would be to the whole wizarding world of Great-Britain. Mrs. Pomfrey came and went from the Room to the Infirmary, watching over her patients. She had a Medi-witch with her, who had come from St. Mungo for the occasion.

On the following morning, Akaashi and Bokuto were back to tip-top conditions, having absolutely no memories of the accident. There only was a three years gap in their lives. The wizards who had brought their bodies there arranged for Portkeys back to Japan, where their families were still waiting for them. They thanked Kyoutani with profusion and held Kuroo tightly against them before going, and Kuroo heaved a sigh, relieved.

Ushijima’s case was more complicated. He was still tormented by remorse and grief, and under a judgment. However, thanks to Kuroo’s actions, he was assured to be tried again, and have his sentence shortened. It was, after all, the first time someone made a Horcrux and then made their soul one again, and the story had broken out in Japan, where wizards and witches had asked for a lighter sentence. The man found the strength to thank his saviours before Aurors took another Portkey back to Japan with him.

Kyoutani and Sirius were kept to secrecy two days more, Harry and Kuroo staying with them. Harry recounted the war to his godfather, and everything he’d missed since then. Grimmauld Place had been mostly cleaned out ten years ago, when Ginny and Harry had thought of settling there – but they hadn’t gone through, having still too many memories attached to the place. It was now legally back into Sirius’s care, though the Wizard didn’t look too keen on living there again. Kuroo was curious to see such an old house which, despite the cleaning it had gone through, still held many secrets and heirlooms, and Kyoutani was curious to see a true wizarding house. In the end, the four of them settled on an agreement: Sirius could use Kyoutani’s apartment in London for the time being, and during summer holidays, the three of them, along with the Potters, would make Grimmauld Place a home again. Sirius was delighted to learn that Kyoutani’s place was quite close to the Potters – and even more when he learnt it was a Muggle house in a Muggle neighbourhood.

At the end of the second day, a Japanese Auror came by with an official letter from the Wizengamot: due to the exceptional circumstances, Kuroo would not be tried for his use of the Dark Arts, under the condition that he would never use them again. Kuroo agreed readily, and then had a lengthy discussion with McGonagall, at the end of which they agreed that he would go on with his job as D.A.D.A. teacher to the end of the year, upon which they would meet again to decide whether or not they would further the contract. After all, Kyoutani’s training still wasn’t complete, and it was Kuroo’s task to tutor him.

The third day, with Sirius and Harry’s help, Kyoutani tested his power. The look of wonder on his face told everyone he could now master his power, though it still needed work. He could now go back to his classes. It was the evening already when Harry and Sirius left with smiles and taps on their shoulders. Kyoutani and Kuroo retreated to their rooms. Kyoutani opened his door, and Kuroo was about to go on to his own, when the young man grabbed his sleeve.

“Can we talk, Kuroo?” Kyoutani asked, his face unreadable.  
“Of course”, Kuroo replied, though nervous. He could guess what Kyoutani wanted to talk about: their – now unbreakable – soul-bond, and the kiss Kuroo and unthinkingly given to him.

They sat down in two armchairs in front of the fire blazing in the chimney, that Kyoutani had lit with a snap of his wand. Now that he could control his power, he was showing an incredible skill for magic – delicate magic, that should have required years of experience. Kuroo was more than glad that he got to teach him. It would be a fascinating experience – and really, the fluttering in his chest had nothing to do with it. Kuroo twirled his wand and a bottle of wine served them two glasses.

“I kind of guess what you wish to talk about, Kyoutani-kun”, Kuroo said, looking into his drink.  
“When we were in the Between, I understand we completed a soul-bond. A true one, this time.” Kuroo vaguely felt a flutter of worry in his chest, but it was gone as soon as he felt it. “Tell me what it entails.”  
“Sharing our life-force, our feelings, and sometimes our power”, Kuroo replied in a calm voice that didn’t match his feelings. “We are connected at the deepest level known of wizard-kind. It is unbreakable, and will only dissolve into death.”

Kyoutani breathed out slowly as he took in what it meant. Kuroo remained silent, giving him time to adjust. Kyoutani took a sip of wine.

“It was used in Medieval Time for wizarding weddings, but nowadays no one uses them”, he finally settled on saying. “The connection cannot be severed; however, we can control it to some degree. It is what we’re both doing instinctively, I can barely feel your feelings at all, and I have no access to your power.”  
“What will it mean, in practice, for us?” Kyoutani asked, and despite everything, Kuroo could hear the fright in his voice.  
“Nothing that we don’t want it to mean”, Kuroo assured him. “We both have our will-power, and it will be of no consequences if at some point you meet a witch or a wizard you wish to pursue. We just have to trust each other not to get ourselves killed prematurely. You can find more information in the library, I believe.”

There was a long silence as Kyoutani pondered about all these new information, and Kuroo felt his heart thump louder. His frown, when he focused, was the cutest thing he had ever seen – but he would not say that. He bit his lips – the past months had confirmed his fear: he had a crush on Kyoutani, and keeping that a secret with the bond they now had would be a challenge.

“Kuroo”, Kyoutani said after a moment, turning his head to look at him. “Why did you kiss me?”  
“I know I was out of place and I’m really sorry for that”, Kuroo said, rushing the words out of his mouth, hoping Kyoutani would let go.  
“I was not making a reproach, Kuroo”, Kyoutani stated. “Simply asking a question.”

Kuroo clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white.

“Because I was worried to death and I… I’m attracted to you”, he settled on saying, his eyes downcast. “I assure you there will be no repeat.”  
“I… Kuroo, you’re not exactly… unattractive, you know. And you’re kind, and smart. Dedicated. Hell, you went to the other side of the world for your friends, and you endangered your life for me.” He took a breath. “What I’m trying to say is… I’m not… opposed to the idea.” He grimaced at his phrasing, which wasn’t exactly ideal.

Kuroo looked up, startled.

“Kyoutani-kun”, he breathed, “do you mean…”  
“I mean, if you want to… date. Officially. I’d like it too.”

Kuroo’s eyes widened. He felt his heart hammer in his chest, and for a moment he was sure he had misheard him. He stuttered a few meaningless words before shutting up again.

“I’d like that too”, he finally said, his throat feeling tight with anticipation.

Kyoutani smiled – a genuine smile that softened his face, and Kuroo had the urge to squeeze his cheeks. Instead, he leant over the arm of his chair, leaving to Kyoutani the final choice. Kyoutani turned red but bent towards him, and Kuroo cupped his cheek gently and closed his eyes. A second later, their lips were brushing. It was nothing more than a soft touch, but it sent Kuroo’s heart racing. A part of him wanted more – the other told him, not yet. He pulled away, met Kyoutani’s eyes and dove back for another kiss, steadier, though the younger man barely parted his lips. It was enough to be overwhelming.

Kuroo pulled away, smiling, and got up.

“I’ll see you tomorrow”, he said.

Kyoutani had turned a deep shade of crimson.

“Tomorrow”, he nodded.

And if someone saw the giddy, skipping step of the D.A.D.A. professor, well… it was a problem that could wait.


	6. Accidentally in Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's falling in love, and there's being accidentally in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of smut in this chapter, be warned!

Kyoutani’s reappearance at the Hufflepuff table at breakfast caused a massive commotion, as his new friends all jumped to hug him and congratulate him on his recovery. The young man grinned as Yachi squeezed his hands, Oikawa and Iwaizumi thumping his shoulders and promising to meet in the afternoon for a flying session. Albus, James and Scorpius made their way to him, asking quite a number of inappropriate questions. It was all forgotten, however, when the owls swooped in with letters and, especially, the new number of _The Prophet_. The front page showed a picture of Sirius, grinning and waving in Diagon Alley, while the title read “SIRIUS BLACK ALIVE! THE MIRACLE NO ONE EXPECTED”. Kuroo now realized Sirius was the same age as Harry, since he hadn’t aged while he was in stasis. It had to be a weird experience for all those who knew him.

Kyoutani went to class with the first years as usual, but it quickly became obvious it was unnecessary: he didn’t struggle like them to master the spells, though he sure could improve at Potions. It was quickly decided that he needed an adapted schedule, and he spent his afternoon with the Headmistress to find the perfect one. This schedule extended over summer-break. Kuroo, Harry and Sirius all agreed to teach him whatever he would need, with Daishou adding he would tutor him in potions. When he finally got out, happy with his new schedule, it was to run down to the Quidditch pitch. He was to meet Oikawa and Iwaizumi there for a flying lesson. Despite his newly improved abilities, he was still no good at flying, and no one had any hope of making a Quidditch player out of him.

After that, time seemed to fly by: spring arrived and settled, students took their OWLs and Kyoutani studied and spent time with his friends. Still, during weekends, Kuroo and him sneaked to the grounds of Hogwarts, or to Hogsmeade – and even once to Muggle London – for a date. At first, it had been a bit awkward, but it didn’t take them long to realize their already established friendship was more than enough to get those dates going. The changes were subtle and progressives – the brush of a hand, a kiss goodbye when they parted in front of their rooms, going on to holding hands when they went on strolls, to cuddles under the trees and more heated kisses against Kuroo’s door. Kuroo was happy with this new relationship, one he had never hoped for, and he liked the way Kyoutani looked at him when he thought he wasn’t looking. Kyoutani was such a softie under all that gruffness, and Kuroo absolutely _loved_ that.

“The kids are staring”, Kyoutani grumbled from where he was, his head tucked against Kuroo’s side. His cheeks had taken a pleasant red tinge, and Kuroo couldn’t help his smile.  
“Does it bother you?” he asked, rubbing his head soothingly – he had recently discovered Kyoutani adored that.  
“I don’t know”, Kyoutani frowned. “Should it?”  
“We’re not doing anything wrong”, Kuroo stated, “and as your boyfriend I’m glad I’m able to show off with you at my side.”

Kyoutani turned a shade darker and scowled at him.

“Always the smooth talker”, he retorted. “I’d love to see you lose your words for once.”

Kuroo snickered; he knew perfectly well that he wasn’t immune to his boyfriend’s charm and it was only a matter of time before he embarrassed himself in front of him. He’d been a lot more relaxed now that the problem with Ushijima, Akaashi and Bokuto had been resolved. Those three years of fleeing, hiding and researching ways out had taken their toll on him and he was happy that he got to curl up with his boyfriend and forget all of this nonsense.

“Were you always that smooth?” Kyoutani asked. “With your… dates?” he settled on saying, for lack of other fitting words.  
“Merlin’s pants no”, Kuroo said with a laugh. “I was terrible at it as a teen, and after that… well you know what happened. I really wasn’t in the mind for relationships.” He smiled. “I have to admit; it _is_ the first time I’m dealing with these feelings. I might be completely incompetent.”  
“Good”, Kyoutani sighed in relief, “I was worried I’d be the only one being a complete noob at this.”  
“Not much of a dater either?” Kuroo asked, half-serious, half-teasing.  
“People don’t approach me”, Kyoutani stated. “Except for kids and old grandmas.”  
“They know to look beyond appearances”, Kuroo smiled, sliding down to kiss his neck. Kyoutani made a strangled sound and shied away from him, and Kuroo pulled back, worried. “Did I do something wrong?”  
“Not exactly”, Kyoutani replied, avoiding his eyes as he turned a bright red. “It’s just… I’m not…” He searched for his words, mumbling. “Very experienced.”  
“It’s fine”, Kuroo tried so reassure him. “You set the pace, okay? You tell me if I make you uncomfortable.”  
“Shut up and kiss me”, Kyoutani growled to hide his embarrassment as he pulled Kuroo down by the scruff of his neck and captured his lips in a searing kiss. The D.A.D.A. teacher replied to it eagerly, until he felt Kyoutani start so squirm uncomfortably, his lips attached to his neck once more.  
“What is it?” he asked in a soft voice, nipping at his earlobe, before starting to pull back.

Kyoutani didn’t let him go and instead rose to sit up, his face a deep shade of red that almost matched Kuroo’s favourite robes. He looked away, trembling slightly, and Kuroo instinctively looked down the line of his arms, only to find his fists tight against his crotch. He did his best to repress his laughter and managed to only snort at Kyoutani’s attempt to hide his erection.

“Here”, he said, disrobing himself to pull the clothes around Kyoutani’s shoulders. “That’s what robes are good for, unlike jeans or dress pants.”  
“What, to hide boners?” Kyoutani asked without looking at him.  
“Yes”, Kuroo replied. “Why the hell do you think I choose mines so loose?”

Kyoutani straightened up, staring at him in outrage.

“ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!”

This only made Kuroo laugh harder and he pecked Kyoutani’s lips.

“Want to go back? You should take care of that, must be uncomfortable… Or I can do it for you, too.”

He distinctively heard the hitch in Kyoutani’s breath as he stood up and helped him up. Kyoutani was biting his lips, thinking about how comfortable he was with that, before he nodded.

“Okay”, he finally breathed.

The walk back to Kuroo’s rooms felt ten times longer than it really was – or maybe it just _was_ too long for both of them, because as soon as the door was closed, Kyoutani cast a Silencing spell on the door just to be sure. He was right to act this quickly, because he was immediately slammed against said door by Kuroo, who lost no time in working his flies open and pull him out. He would have loved to say it was passionate, and many things more – the truth was much less glamorous, as he came within seconds with a high-pitched noise that was probably a moan. Kuroo muffled his snicker in his neck.

“What was that sound?” he asked between two shaking breaths as it slowly turned into a full-fledged fit of laughter, the tension of the moment ebbing away.

He laughed so hard, in fact, that it killed his own boner. Kyoutani would have probably been vexed if he hadn’t been so out of it, and by the time he managed to pull his brain back together, Kuroo had calmed down. They kissed once more before Kuroo cast a cleaning spell, still slightly amused by how quickly Kyoutani had lost control.

“You’ll be the death of me, Kentarou”, he breathed.  
“I should be the one saying that, you know. For a moment I thought my soul had left my body. Again.”  
“Maybe next time I can _suck_ your soul out?” Kuroo whispered darkly into his ear.  
“God why do I even date you”, Kyoutani sighed, though his cheeks had turned a pink shade.  
“My charming personality? Impressive wizarding skills? Extensive knowledge?”  
“Superior ego?” Kyoutani provided with a straight-face.  
“I can’t help it if I’m perfect”, Kuroo retorted. He pressed a few kisses into Kyoutani’s neck, drinking in the little noises he made. “You should leave before I lose control”, he added gently, pulling away to let Kyoutani go.  
“Okay”, Kyoutani replied with a nod. “See you later?”  
“Later.”

And suddenly the end of the year was there and the kids were climbing into the Hogwarts Express, Kyoutani looking at it with huge shining eyes. Kuroo looked at him, sighed and smiled.

“You want to get on to go back to London?”

Kyoutani took one look at him and climbed inside, walking through the train to an empty compartment where he settled down after he passed one, completely full with Oikawa, Iwaizumi, James, Scorpius and Albus. As much as he was excited to spend summer at Grimmauld Place, he really was glad that he’d get to spend a few weeks in his apartment. Sirius was waiting for them at the station when they got there, looking a lot better now. He was wearing a leather jacket and tight jeans, and Kyoutani was about to greet him when someone else arrived, making him groan internally.

“You know you should have warned there’d be a supposedly _dead wizard_ camping in your living-room to me when you asked me to take care of your home”, Daishou said with a smirk. “There could have been an accident.”  
“He almost hexed me”, Sirius said cheerfully, glancing at Daishou, who snarled as he turned pink.  
“…What happened, exactly?” Kuroo asked, pursing his lips, not sure he wanted to know.  
“I kissed him. Don’t ask me why because I have no idea, it was completely instinctive. No one can yell a hex while being kissed, right?” Sirius replied, all the while smiling, looping an arm around Daishou’s shoulder.

The slightly younger wizard growled but didn’t protest – visibly, at least, because Sirius yelped and glowered at him. Daishou snickered and Kuroo pulled a face. He turned to Kyoutani.

“Tell me I’m not seeing what I’m seeing.”  
“I’m not talking to any of you ever again”, Kyoutani stated, grabbing his suitcase and storming off.

The three wizards laughed and followed him. Kuroo Side-Alonged his boyfriend, while Daishou did the same for Sirius. The four of them Apparated in Kyoutani’s apartment, where the young man immediately started to raise wards, the way he’d learnt to do at Hogwarts. Kuroo felt him putting a lot of power behind his wards, and he couldn’t help his smile: Kyoutani had created a place that had little to envy to Hogwarts ward-wise. Kyoutani immediately started to un-pack, the three other wizards settling in the couch to discuss their summer plans. Now that Sirius and Daishou were dating, they had to incorporate him in their plans.

“We could go on double-dates!” Sirius said with a huge grin.

There was longing in his eyes: he hadn’t dated anyone since the First Wizarding War, and since James and Lily’s death, he hadn’t gone on any double-date with anyone. There was nothing that could bring back James, or Lily, or Remus – but he was trying to make something new. Something good. His hand gently brushed Daishou’s hair out of his face – perhaps a family of his own.

“We could”, Kuroo replied carefully. “I don’t know much about magical London, though. Or Muggle London.”  
“London has changed a lot since I last came”, Sirius admitted.

Kyoutani arrived, Levitating a tray with hot cups of tea.

“Harry said he’ll meet us tomorrow at Grimmauld, with Ginny. Draco Malfoy accepted to keep an eye on the kids.”  
“No shit”, Sirius said, “who would have thought that one day Draco bloody Malfoy would help out.”  
“We’ll stay here for the night”, Kyoutani added, ignoring him. “You two will take the Transfigured couch”, he told Sirius and Daishou, “and I want no nasty business on it. Wait ‘til you’ve got your own bed.”

Daishou’s face flushed a pure red. Kuroo had gotten up to get the tea, and he looped one arm around Kyoutani’s waist to whisper in his ear.

“And where will I be?” he asked sweetly.  
“I believe you know where the bedroom is already”, Kyoutani replied, straight-faced, and Kuroo choked on his own laughter, soon wheezing.  
“How about we go out for some drinks?” Daishou said, stretching. “I want to hear everything about what happened to Hogwarts after you woke up, Kentarou. I know just the place.”  
“Okay”, Kyoutani said, shrugging, “as long as I get to wear a jean. I don’t want to ever wear another set of robes.”  
“I have to say I’m quite fond of these too”, Sirius replied. “More fitting than what Muggles wore when I was your age.”  
“They _do_ compliment your ass”, Daishou smirked.  
“Kick them out, Kyou-kun”, Kuroo dead-panned.  
“ _You_ ’re wearing jeans too”, Kyoutani replied. “I never got to see you wearing Muggle clothes.”  
“I’ll have to go buy some, then”, Kuroo said. “Yours won’t fit me, I’m afraid.”  
“Are you sure you can do that by yourself?” Kyoutani dubiously asked.  
“Of course I can.”  
“I’ll go with you”, Daishou said, “I’ll buy some for myself as well. I don’t want to be the only prick wearing robes tonight.”  
“Hell yes”, Sirius whispered, and Kyoutani snorted.

The two wizards went out, attracting gazes with their garbs, and Kyoutani found himself alone with Sirius once more.

“Are you alright?” Kyoutani asked. “You look nervous.”  
“It’s going back to Grimmauld”, Sirius replied with a sigh, rubbing the back of his head. “I don’t exactly have nice memories there, and I’m quite sick of the place, honestly. I don’t want to go back to live there.”  
“Isn’t it your family home, though?”  
“My family disowned me long ago”, Sirius replied with a shrug, “and I’d want nothing from them anyway. This house is nothing but bad memories to me.” He slid into the couch. “I like this place way better. Small but comfy. Very Muggle.”  
“Why don’t you search for a Muggle place, then?”  
“I think I will”, Sirius said with a smile. “I’m just… waiting to see where this thing with Suguru will go.” He paused. “Have you known each other for long?”  
“About three years, I think”, Kyoutani said, “we’ve been working at the same zoo. Daishou is a caretaker there. I wanted to be one, too. I’ve been saving to go to Uni, before… well, before.”  
“You wanted to work with animals?”  
“Yeah”, Kyoutani replied. “I love animals.”  
“Why don’t you go for an apprentice-ship with Hagrid?” Sirius asked. “He might not look like it, but he knows a great deal about creatures. I’m sure you’d love working like this.”  
“Honestly, this year has just been so mad, I haven’t looked up potential careers in the Magical World. I don’t even know if I’ll take the exams.”  
“It’d be a shame if you didn’t”, Sirius said. “You’re good. I know, how about we do some research about this together after tutoring lessons? I have to find my place in this world again, I don’t want to live off my inheritance. It’s mad, but I never had to get a real job, you know.”  
“Alright”, Kyoutani replied with a smile. “I guess it’ll also help me see where I’m going with Tetsu. I think he doesn’t really know where he’s going either.”

After that, the two got ready for their night out. Daishou had taken Kuroo to his own place so they could get ready separately and make a surprise to their respective boyfriends. Daishou had owled the address of the bar, down Diagon Alley, and they Apparated there, walking to the bar. Kuroo and Daishou were already inside, at the bar, ordering drinks. Kyoutani choked when he saw them, while Sirius took a sharp inhale.

“I wasn’t expecting this”, he whispered.

Daishou had put on stark white, skin tight jeans, with delicate dark boots and a burgundy jumper. He could fit in nicely in a Muggle crowd, stood out nicely in a magical crowd. Kuroo, however… Well, Kuroo didn’t fit in anywhere. Kyoutani could just stare at him with an open mouth and thoughts running in circles.

“Do you think he did it on purpose?” he finally whispered to Sirius.  
“Definitely”, Sirius nodded. “Good luck.”

Kuroo was wearing a pair of dark tights with small heeled ankle-boots, his long legs stretching infinitely, only to disappear under the shortest dress Kyoutani had ever seen. It was black and barely reached under his ass, fitting close to his body. The young wizard had thrown on a red, leather-like jacket to shield himself from the cold. He looked beautifully indecent, and Kyoutani gulped.

Finally, Kyoutani and Sirius made their way over to them, and the four took place at a table. Kyoutani couldn’t stop staring at his boyfriend. They had managed to get a meal and some booze, and soon they had a light conversation rolling. Kyoutani’s eyes were still glued to Kuroo. They talked about Hogwarts and pranks, exams and lessons, Hogsmeade dates. It was easy and nice, and Kyoutani felt himself relax against Kuroo. Enough that when Kuroo angled his head to kiss him, he didn’t protest, and only sighed at the feeling of his lips on him.

“Hello guys”, a soft voice said, and they looked up only to find Sugawara standing there.

The Unspeakable who had helped three of them was smiling gently, his arm looped into the one of a burlier man Kyoutani recognized too: it was Daichi, the wand-maker apprentice.

“Mr. Sugawara”, Kyoutani saluted him, “Mr. Sawamura. How are you?”  
“Quite fine, as you can see”, Sugawara replied with a smirk. “This fine gentleman is taking me out on a date, you see”, he added, patting Daichi’s arm. “I was starting to think he would never ask.”

Daichi had turned a deep shade of crimson, but he nodded anyway.

“We wish you the better”, Sugawara said as the two pulled away. He rested his head on Daichi’s shoulder.  
“We should go too”, Kyoutani said, “it’s getting late and I’m tired from the trip back here.”  
“Agreed”, Kuroo replied.  
“Go ahead”, Daishou said, exchanging a few words in a low voice with Sirius. “Sirius will stay at mine’s tonight, so don’t worry.”  
“See you tomorrow”, Kyoutani said.

Somehow he found himself looping an arm around Kuroo’s waist as they exited the bar.

“Can you Apparate us safely?” Kyoutani asked. “I’ve had a bit too much to drink, and I don’t have a license yet anyway.”  
“I’m not drunk but I don’t think I can Apparate us, sorry”, Kuroo replied. “How do we go back?”  
“The Tube. Taxi. Ubber.”  
“Whichever is the fastest”, Kuroo said, drawing him in. “I want to kiss you really badly, you know.”  
“Then kiss me”, Kyoutani breathed.

And Kuroo did.


	7. 12 Grimmauld Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new start for Grimmauld.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's smut in this chapter too.

It was strange to go back home together, but the drive had taken some of the edge away. They slipped off their shoes, hanged their jackets and stared at each other. Blush slowly crept up Kyoutani’s cheeks.

“What is it, Kentarou?” Kuroo asked, stepping closer and grabbing his hands to rub his fingers over his knuckles.  
“I want you”, Kyoutani replied, his voice a bit raw, “and I want you so much it scares me.”  
“We go to your rhythm, Kyou-kun”, Kuroo reminded him, breathing slowly. “You set the pace.”  
“Fuck, I don’t have anything… Do you mind if I go to the 24/7 store down the street?” Kyoutani said after a moment.  
“I don’t”, Kuroo replied. “I’ll take my time to undress. Brush my teeth. Drink some water.” He gently kissed his forehead. “Your pace, Kentarou. Your call.”

Kyoutani nodded slowly and went back out. Kuroo tried to still his breathing. It’d been so long since he last had sex. And it was going to be Kyoutani’s first. His heart missed a beat. Merlin, he was going to be Kyoutani’s first. Quickly, he divested himself of all clothing and went into the shower. A nice, cold shower. Kyoutani would be back soon, and he wanted to have his wits about him. He dried himself, and realized he had no idea what to do with himself. Luckily, Kyoutani pulled him out of his dilemma when he walked through the door.

“I’m back”, he called, “are you…” His eyes stopped on Kuroo. “Oh. You’re already starkers.”  
“Had to take a cold shower”, Kuroo said with a guilty smile. “Was getting too worked up.”

Kyoutani set the items on the counter next to him while he took off his jacket and shoes again. Kuroo grabbed them and took his hand, guiding him to the bedroom. There, he sat down on the bed and pulled Kyoutani towards him.

“Your call”, he reminded him, fingers sliding under his shirt.  
“Yeah”, Kyoutani replied. “I know.”

His fingers cupped Kuroo’s jaw as he bent down for a kiss, his lips lingering there. Kuroo’s hands went to his ass, and then to the front of his jeans, opening them and slightly pulling them down. He paused for a second.

“Are you really wearing Captain America boxers?” he asked, laughter in his voice.

Kyoutani turned an endearing shade of red.

“Shut up”, he growled, “I like them. They’re soft.”  
“I like them too”, Kuroo replied in a soft purr, gently fondling him.

Kyoutani’s eyes rolled back in his head, his hands clenching on Kuroo’s shoulders. He managed to lean forward for a sloppy kiss, Kuroo pulling his pants and underwear down. The younger wizard pulled off his shirt, slowly rolling his hips into Kuroo’s hand.

“Feels so good”, he breathed in his ear. “Feels really good, Tetsu.”  
“Mind if we lie down?” Kuroo asked, nibbling on the lobe of his ear.

Kyoutani moaned and moved along until they were settled on the bed. He rose on his forearms and rolled his hips into Kuroo’s, making the both of them keen at the feeling. Instinctively, Kuroo grabbed his ass to keep him against him as they slowly humped against each other. Kyoutani kissed him again and rose up, kneeling above him. He looked at him in silence for a few seconds, his hair ruffled but still a lesser mess than Kuroo’s. His cheeks gradually heated up, and Kuroo stroke his thighs up and down reassuringly.

“What is it, Kyou-kun? Tell me.”  
“I…” His voice broke. “I want you to make love to me, Kuroo”, he said in a whispered voice, too afraid it might break again. “I want you to take me. I want you to be my first.”  
“You don’t have to, you know”, Kuroo replied, his heart hammering. “I can wait. There are many other things, good things, we could do.”  
“You don’t want to?” Kyoutani asked, his face showing insecurity before closing up.  
“Of course I want to”, Kuroo burst out, sitting up to wrap his arm around him, “I want you more than anything. But I don’t want you to feel forced to do things you’re not comfortable with.”  
“I want to feel you in me”, Kyoutani replied, his voice so soft Kuroo barely heard him.  
“Merlin”, Kuroo swore, hiding his head in his boyfriend’s shoulder. “I want to be inside you too.” He breathed slowly to regain his self-control. “Okay. But we can stop whenever you want, okay? Just tell me.”  
“My call”, Kyoutani replied. “I know. I trust you.”

Kuroo felt like his heart might beat off from his chest, and he grabbed Kyoutani’s face to kiss him breathless.

“Merlin I’m so in love with you”, he whispered, and Kyoutani’s eyes widened. “What is it?”  
“This… You…” He paused to breathe. “It’s the first time you’ve said you loved me.”  
“Is it really?” Kuroo asked, brushing his jaw gently. “I love you so damn much, Kyou-kun, you’ll be the death of me.”  
“I love you too”, Kyoutani confessed, his face crimson.

Kuroo smiled and moved slightly.

“Roll over”, he instructed, and Kyoutani did, letting him lean over the bed to grab the lube and box of condoms. “How far have you gone?” he asked matter-of-factly as he poured some on his fingers and slathered them in it.  
“Up to three”, Kyoutani admitted, his face never paling. He averted his gaze. “I would think about how you’d feel if it were you.”  
“I’m honoured”, Kuroo replied, pecking his nose. “I’ll be gentle.”

And gentle he was, kissing his abdomen and hips and thighs, but never going too close to his throbbing cock. Kyoutani had proved to be so sensitive, he thought he would come with the barest touch. Kyoutani tensed a bit at his finger’s first intrusion, but he relaxed quickly. He was focused on his breathing pattern, deep and measured, in control, as Kuroo’s finger slid deeper and deeper, thrusted a bit harder. He keened when he added another one, his hands flying to settle in Kuroo’s hair, closed in tight fists. Kuroo finally found his prize – Kyoutani’s most sensitive spot, and he rubbed it. Gently at first, he went at it a bit harder as Kyoutani’s moans rose, higher and higher. He slid a third finger in, scissoring them gently to make sure he wouldn’t hurt his lover. He was content with how relaxed Kyoutani was – and suddenly he realized their soul-bond was completely open. Feelings and power were flowing effortlessly between them, so naturally he hadn’t even realized until now. With a shaky breath, he pulled his fingers out and straightened.

“It’ll be easier on you if you’re on your belly”, he suggested. “There will still be many other times to make love however you want.”

Kyoutani nodded and rolled over slowly.

“Hold me tight”, he whispered, settling on his knees.  
“I will”, Kuroo promised, grabbing a condom, tearing it open and rolling it on.

His hands were trembling with contained feelings and desire, but he settled between his boyfriend’s thighs, grabbing his cock in a tight fist to guide it effortlessly as he covered his back with his own body.

“You look wonderful”, he breathed, kissing between Kyoutani’s shoulder-blades. “I’m lucky to have you.”

He held him tight and pushed in, gasping at the tightness and warmth, dropping his forehead against Kyoutani’s back.

“You feel so good”, he moaned softly, giving a careful thrust, “you feel so good, Kyou-kun.”

Kyoutani didn’t say a thing, his hands wound tightly into the sheets, his body trembling as it accommodated Kuroo’s girth.

“Keep going”, he finally replied with a light moan, “keep going, Tetsu. I can take it.”

Kuroo was slow and careful despite his swimming head, thrusting deeper and deeper each time, Kyoutani relaxing around him and allowing him in, until he was entirely in.

“Are you okay?” Kuroo asked once more, voice raw and breaking.  
“Yeah”, Kyoutani replied, his voice a moan, “I feel like I’ve been split open but you feel so good inside me.”  
“Can I move?”  
“I need you, Tetsu.”

That was all the encouragement Kuroo needed, as he set a slightly stronger pace. Kyoutani was trembling around him, pants of restrained pleasure coming from his lips.

“Let me hear you”, he groaned, “Kyou-kun, I want to hear you come.”

He probably hit his prostate just as he said that because Kyoutani suddenly arched, wailing, and sobbing for Kuroo to help him come – and Kuroo did, wrapping his hand around his dripping cock and stroking it until Kyoutani spilled, wet and sticky, on his fingers. He squeezed down so hard Kuroo came without a warning with a strangled cry. For a moment, none of them moved, completely breathless – and brainless. Then, slowly, carefully holding the condom, Kuroo pulled out.

Kyoutani collapsed, his fingers still twitching, and Kuroo grabbed his wand to perform a few cleaning spells on the sheets before he went to the bathroom. He came back with a basin of warm water and a soft cloth. He took his time cleaning carefully his spent boyfriend, kissing him gently, before disposing of the whole and laying back against him. He pulled him in his arms and kissed his forehead.

“Are you okay? It didn’t hurt too much, did it?”  
“There was not much pain”, Kyoutani replied. “It burnt a bit at first, but you made it feel so good.” A tired, content smile stretched his lips. “I’m glad you were my first.”  
“And I’m glad I got to be your first”, Kuroo said with a smile, kissing his knuckles.

Kyoutani snuggled up to him, his head in his neck, and soon his breathing had slowed and deepened to sleep. Kuroo petted his head gently, his head swimming with thoughts. He loved Kyoutani – he loved him immensely, in fact. When they’d first agreed to help each other, he had in mind to go back to Japan, where his friends and family were. But things were different now. He’d made friends there too. Found love. He didn’t want to go back where his home had been. With a start, he suddenly realized that was what it was. His home was now wherever Kyoutani was. He held him tighter. There still was time for them to figure it out.

*

“Are you sure you want to come?” Kuroo asked with a smirk, his arm wrapped around Kyoutani’s waist.  
“I’m sore, not crippled”, Kyoutani growled. He let out a groan as he sat down to tie his shoes. “Alright I might be crippled.”

With a laugh, Kuroo Apparated them to Daishou’s place: the wizard had let the wards open for them. There was no one in sight, so Kuroo called, using Sonorus on his voice.

“Get up, lovebirds! Today is a wonderful day!”

There was the sound of crashing and laughter, and Sirius stumbled out of the bathroom with wild sex-hair and just his jeans on. From inside, Daishou threw him his shirt, which only made him laugh harder. The man pulled it on, running his fingers threw his damp hair to comb it.

“You’re here early”, he said with a warm smile.  
“Luckily we weren’t _too_ early”, Kuroo insinuated, and Sirius laughed again.  
“Oh Suguru would have killed you.”

There was no other answer, as a hex hit Sirius square in the back.

“You get away lightly this time”, Daishou said in a deep voice, “but don’t expect me to be so lenient next time.”

Sirius’s ears were twitching madly, and Kyoutani couldn’t stop himself from smirking. The man only smiled to his lover.

“Alright, since we’re all here, we should meet with Harry and Ginny at Grimmauld.”

They Apparated in a dark alley not far from there and made the rest on the way on foot, chatting excitedly. Sirius, however, darkened more and more as they came closer. They stopped at the empty place between the number 11 and the number 13, and Kyoutani held his breath as the house slowly appeared. And suddenly it was there, as if it had always been there. It looked old and gloomy, and Kyoutani shivered.

“No wonder you don’t like this place”, he said to Sirius, “just looking at it is depressing.” Still, he stepped forward. Something about the house mesmerized him. “And yet…”  
“It’s an old wizarding house”, Kuroo said. “And from what I understood, it’s been full of Dark Magic. It won’t make itself good to anyone who doesn’t love it.”  
“I don’t think there’s a lot to be changed to give it a completely different feeling”, Daishou supplied, “but there are really strong wards. It would need a lot of power to make even the slightest changes.”  
“Can I try something?” Kyoutani said, spinning on his heels to look at Sirius.  
“Go ahead”, the man said with a nod. “You can’t make it worse anyway.”

Slowly, Kyoutani stepped through the wards. Harry had tempered with them so they would be opened to the visitors, still they felt different. He walked to the closest wall, dark with grim, and put his hand against it, closing his eyes. He felt like, somehow, he could hear the house’s beating heart. It was old, dusty, rusty, mistreated, unloved. It just wanted to be taken care of.

“We could work together”, Kyoutani whispered. “You help me make you look better. Feel better. And I’m sure they will love you. You are powerful, I can feel it. Widen your rooms. Help us get rid of your dreadful past, so Sirius can love what was first built. Out of love. You were built out of love, weren’t you? I can feel it… They were so in love, the people who built you… And the wizard who instilled his magic into you, he loved you so much. How sad he would be to see what you’ve become…”

Behind him, the three wizards were staring at him. They couldn’t hear everything he said, but they could see his lips moving.

“…Is your boyfriend talking to my house?” Sirius finally said to Kuroo.  
“I’ve stopped asking questions”, the young wizard replied.  
“What the hell is he doing _again_?” a voice asked, and they turned to see Harry standing there with Ginny.  
“Talking to the house, it seems”, Sirius said with a shrug. “I’ve seen weirder.”

Their attention was brought back to the house when Kyoutani stepped back with a roaring laughter, his wand shooting sparkles and radiating power as the house seemed to contort and shake. They soon realized the house didn’t just seem to be contorting and shaking: it was. Their eyes open wide, they watched, astonished, as the windows and doors opened to hurl out furniture and decorations, the house still shaking wildly.

It burped out one last item – a huge, burnt tapestry that Sirius instantly recognized: it was the Black family tree, from which he had been blasted off – and settled down.

“Wow”, they all murmured.

The house seemed to be transformed, and yet still the same: its style hadn’t changed, but it looked like it had just been built. It was a clear white, its windows larger to let light pour in, all the grim removed. In the small front garden, things piled up. Discarded. Unwanted. Harry performed a few spell, recoiling at the results.

“It looks like all the remaining cursed objects are here”, he whispered. “How…”  
“It’s amazing”, Sirius said, looking at the house. “I never thought it could be such a lovely house… it looks so… welcoming.”

Kyoutani was kneeling in front of the house, panting, and they suddenly realized he was still there. They rushed up to him: his forehead was damp with sweat, but he was smiling, moved to tears.

“I think we should go in”, he said, and they nodded.

Sirius stepped in first, Harry following with Ginny’s hand tightly clasped in his. Daishou went after them, Kuroo and Kyoutani closing the march. The dark, gloomy corridor had let its place to a wide, clear hallway. The place looked empty, void of furniture and any trace that people had lived there.

The first room they stumbled in was a large drawing-room, where a heterogeneous bazaar seemed to be waiting. On top of the whole thing, a large Gryffindor banner was sprawled: it was the one that had been in Sirius’s bedroom. Coming closer, the man quickly realized all the things that were there were the ones he would have wanted to keep – and they were few. A wizarding photo of Regulus, smiling softly at whoever had taken the photo – Sirius had never seen that photo before, but it moved him to tears. One where he stood as a young boy with the Marauders. One of James and Lily’s wedding. The first Order of the Phoenix. The second Order. Thoughtfully, all wizards but Harry left him to sort through the things Grimmauld had kept for him, and went to check the rest of the house.

“How did you do that?” Kuroo whispered to Kyoutani, holding him up as the young wizard still seemed to be tired.  
“I just talked to the house”, Kyoutani replied, “and gave it some power to stop being a ruin and become a home once more.”

Kuroo stared at him thoughtfully. He didn’t have time to say anything more, because Sirius surged through the room and hugged Kyoutani tightly.

“Thank you”, he said with emotion, “thank you so much.”  
“It was nothing”, Kyoutani replied, patting his back. “Grimmauld needed it too.” He pulled away to look at the wizard. “She needs you, Sirius. She wants to be your home. Give her a chance, please.”  
“I will”, the older wizard replied with a grin, “Merlin I will.”  
“Even the disposition of the rooms changed”, Harry called from the stairs, “it’s nothing like it was before…”  
“That’s it”, Sirius said, “I’m settling there.” He looked at Daishou, Kuroo and Kyoutani and smiled widely. “There’s more than enough place for you to settle there too!”

Daishou laughed at his enthusiasm and patted his arm.

“How about we discuss it again when our relationship has some more time to its monitor”, he said, smiling.  
“Promise?”  
“Promise”, Daishou said, “you have my Slytherin word.”  
“It calls for me”, Kyoutani said with a smile. “How about we make this summer its trial, and I’ll tell you my decision in September?”  
“Same here”, Kuroo said. “I want to see where this”, he looked at Kyoutani, “is going before I come to a decision.”

Sirius then turned to Harry, who laughed and shook his head.

“We already have a home, Sirius. This is yours. But I expect you for lunch on Sundays.”  
“Or at the Burrow”, Ginny said, “we eat there once a month.”

Sirius nodded.

“I never thought… Merlin, this is so unexpected.”

They took a moment to tour the house, which was unexpectedly big – as if it was already waiting for many occupants. It was, however, empty of all furniture. In the end, they all settled in the drawing-room after Harry had called some Aurors more to help him deal with the nasty things that the house had thrown outside. They would go back to Daishou’s and Kyoutani’s while the house was being renovated; in the meantime, Sirius was writing down and measuring exactly what he wanted in his home. The rooms served by the east staircase were given to Kyoutani and Kuroo to settle in, no matter their final decision, while he kept the ones served by the western staircase for his and Daishou’s use. Even like this, there were still extra bedrooms – for the Potter kids when they’d come, and guests. The main rooms, downstairs, would be common: there was the drawing-room, a large dining-room, the kitchen, the pantry and an access to the cellar. The central stair-case led straight to the library – still filled with books, but those were piled up on the floor. They needed to be sorted by the owner, now.

They had take-out for lunch, sitting on the floor in the dining-room and laughing. Mornings would be for Kyoutani’s training and education, afternoons for making the house a home once more. During the afternoon, Kyoutani, Ginny and Harry went with Sirius to Muggles stores to see what they proposed furniture-wise – Sirius was definitely fond of modern kitchens, and he quickly decided on the one he wanted in his home. Meanwhile, Daishou and Kuroo had started to order the library – something they didn’t trust Sirius with, and were both interested in. Their initial sorting had been obvious: Dark Magic books were carefully stored in one piece of furniture, that Kuroo chained magically, like his own was. More common books and Muggle books were separated. Aside from the bookcases, there was nothing else.

They were all back to Grimmauld for tea, which was taken after Sirius carefully spelled the kitchen to build itself. It was a stark contrast to the rest of the house: blindingly white, it went with bright red accessories, which were still few. None of the other Purebloods understood Sirius’s decision, but he seemed to be happy with his Muggle kitchen and they didn’t want to ruin his fun – especially by reminding him that he was a poor cook. After tea, Harry and Ginny went back home, where Draco was keeping an eye on them. They could have asked any of the Weasleys, but things had seemed to go better with Draco now that his father was in St Mungo. They were also worried by his wife’s condition – she’d been poorly lately, and they gathered he needed support he would never ask for. The remaining four stayed until dinner time: Sirius definitely didn’t feel like leaving his new home. Finally, Daishou managed to convince him to go back to his with a few words whispered in his ear.

Kuroo Side-Alonged Kyoutani back home: the young man was exhausted, both from their previous activities and his incredible work with the house. Kuroo didn’t even need to ask, he could feel his exhaustion.

“You should rest, Kentarou”, he said softly as they stepped inside and took off jackets and shoes. “How about you take a bath while I fix us dinner?”  
“That sounds nice”, Kyoutani replied, “except I don’t have a bathtub.”  
“I’ll Transfigure one for you”, Kuroo assured, “don’t worry.”

And he did Transfigure the shower cabin into a massive bathtub, soon filled with bubbling warm water. In lieu of “fixing dinner”, he fumbled with the phone and managed to order a pizza. When Kyoutani got back, the pizza had just arrived, and its sight made him snort. He had put on a large hoodie and sweatpants, and they settled in the couch to watch TV while they ate mostly in silence. Kuroo could definitely feel that his lover had relaxed, but was still very tired from the whole experience. He was proved right when Kyoutani fell asleep in the middle of the movie. As silent as he could, the wizard stored what remained of the pizza in the fridge and cast a Lightening spell on his lover, thus easily picking him up and bringing him to the bedroom. Kyoutani didn’t even stir. Once his clothes removed, Kuroo settled him under the warm blankets and went to get ready for bed. The warm, confident presence of Kyoutani beside him in the bed lulled him to sleep.

Kyoutani was first to wake up on the following morning, only to find himself tightly wrapped in Kuroo’s embrace. He managed to turn to peek at his sleeping expression after feeling his morning wood pocking his butt, and found himself mesmerized by the incredibly long eyelashes casting shadows on Kuroo’s cheeks. Then, Kuroo stirred, and his eyelashes fluttered to reveal golden irises.

“Hello”, he rasped.  
“Hello”, Kyoutani replied, smiling. “You look lovely when you sleep.”  
“Only when I sleep?”  
“You’re an insufferable gremlin once you’re awake”, Kyoutani teased, pecking his lips.

Kuroo’s lips parted under the light kiss, and in a matter of seconds Kyoutani found himself half-laying on Kuroo to kiss him deep and messy. His fingers were threading through dark hair, and something that was definitely not a wand was poking his thigh. He moaned lightly against Kuroo’s lips, slightly pulling away.

“Still sore”, he whispered sheepishly, “sorry.”  
“You know magic can do something for it, right?” Kuroo said, half-teasing, half-worried.  
“It’s a good kind of sore”, Kyoutani replied. “Let me have it.”  
“Alright”, he chuckled, biting his chin gently, “but only if you let me give you the best blowjob ever.”

Kyoutani shivered.

“I like that word”, he replied, his voice raw.  
“Me too”, Kuroo said, rolling Kyoutani on his back and kissing his exposed neck and chest, their legs tangled together. “I could come humping your leg like the dog I am, though.”  
“Please don’t hump my leg”, Kyoutani deadpanned, settling the pillows under his head as Kuroo pushed back the blankets to unveil his naked body.

The only reply Kuroo gave him was a nip at the soft skin of his belly, taut over strong muscles, and Kyoutani’s fingers clenched in the sheets. The Muggleborn wizard looked down his own body: past the hard planes of his stomach, his lover was looking hungrily at his half-hard cock. He twitched when Kuroo ran a fingernail up the underside, wounding his hands tighter into the bedsheets. A moan that was downright filthy left his mouth when Kuroo’s tongue followed the same path as his fingernail, broad, hot and wet. He couldn’t help the string of curses that rang in the room as Kuroo kissed his cock the same way he’d kissed his lips – wet, messy and with lots of tongue. There were already sparkles behind his closed eyelids and he knew in an instant he wouldn’t last long. It became even more certain when Kuroo wrapped his lips around him and started a thrusting motion, taking him deeper and deeper until Kyoutani hit the back of his throat.

“Tetsu- Tetsu I’m co-”

He couldn’t even finish his half-coherent sentence, already he was spilling on Kuroo’s tongue. His face screwed up a bit as some dribbled down his chin.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry Tetsu”, Kyoutani panted, rising, and Kuroo held up a finger before getting out of bed to go to the bathroom.  
“It’s okay”, he said as he got back, “I got surprised, that’s all. And you’re really bitter, I wasn’t expecting it.”

Kyoutani hid his reddened face in his hands.

“I’m so embarrassed”, he moaned.  
“It’s okay”, Kuroo repeated. “A bit of spunk won’t kill me, you know.” Gently, he pulled him into his arms and nibbled at the lobe of his ear. “How ‘bout you take care of me?” he whispered hotly into his ear. “Should I tell you what I want?”

Kyoutani nodded slowly, peeking out from his hands, startling when Kuroo’s fingernail dug into his nipple. Kuroo bent over to grab the lube on the nightstand, and he handed it to Kyoutani.

“I want you to wrap your strong, muscular arms around me while you fuck me with those fingers”, Kuroo said, staring straight at him, sure he would make him turn beet red.

And Kyoutani turned a deep shade of red, making a weird noise in the back of his throat, not unlike a squawk. Kuroo burst out laughing at his expression, but the fire in his eyes did not lie: he meant what he’d said. Kyoutani grabbed him and kissed him soundly, before he settled into a sitting position within the pillows and pulled him to him. With Kuroo’s back to his chest and his warm skin against his own, he felt a bit light-headed. He poured some lube into the palm of his hand and started by wrapping it lightly around Kuroo’s cock, moving it slowly. Kuroo made a keening sound and shifted in his hold, trying to rub his thighs together as his head dropped back on Kyoutani’s shoulder. The young man lightened his grip to give him the barest stimulation, and finally grabbed his thighs, settling them over his own to part Kuroo’s legs widely.

“Merlin if I hadn’t seen how fumbling you can be before I’d say you lied and have done this before”, Kuroo rasped, his forehead damp with sweat.

Kyoutani didn’t reply for a moment, slathering lube on his fingers instead.

“I’ve had enough fantasies about this to have kind of an idea of what I’m doing”, he finally said. “I’m just getting… hands-on practice.”  
“I’m not really feeling any hands anywhe- _Merlin_ ”, Kuroo cried out when Kyoutani rubbed firmly at the small patch of skin between his balls and his hole. 

Kyoutani chuckled darkly into his ear, breath fawning over his skin.

“What is it that you were saying, Tetsu?” he asked, gliding his fingers down to Kuroo’s entrance, circling it lightly. “You have no idea how many times I came just from imagining how you’d feel around my fingers”, he said.  
“I thought dirty talking was more of a Slytherin thing”, Kuroo panted, “never would have expected it from a damn – _ah!_ – a damn Hufflepuff – _oh Merlin keep doing that please!”_

Kyoutani was thrusting one finger into him, up to the knuckle, pressing against his quivering walls and rubbing at his soft spot hieratically. His other hand was gently fondling his balls, brushing lightly under them before shooting up to pinch a pointy nipple. His grip on Kuroo was firm as the wizard rolled his hips back into his hand, his breathing growing shallow and rabid as he chased his own pleasure. Kuroo’s mouth hung open on breathless, soundless moans, his body rolling and curling against Kyoutani in its desperate chase, until he seized up violently as he came with a cry. Kyoutani guided him through the aftershocks, pulling his fingers out and pulling him into his chest to hug him tightly.

“You are one hell of a man”, Kuroo breathed against his skin, boneless.

Kyoutani tilted his head back with the tip of his fingers under his chin and kissed him, slow and steady. They cuddled like this for a moment before finally getting up to take breakfast and shower: Sirius and Daishou would soon be waiting at Grimmauld for them. Once they were ready, they went there. The morning went by in a blur, Sirius and Kyoutani holed up in one of the rooms with books and magical leaflets about potential careers. Searching definitely convinced Kyoutani to sit his OWLs, and maybe even take his NEWTs if he undertook an apprentice-ship, either with Hagrid or elsewhere. Sirius, on the other hand, was turning to something his friends would have never imagined for him before: Healer. He had the qualifications; but only his recent experiences had made him look that way. Before that, he had intended to become a Hit Wizard. Now that the war was over, however, violence repulsed him – and it didn’t dwell with the PTSD he still suffered of. Healing, however. Healing held promises.

They shared lunch all together, before Kuroo took up Kyoutani’s tutoring. He was now working on more complex spells – OWL-level spells. Daishou had gone with Sirius to Diagon Alley, in search of furniture for Grimmauld. They came back with the whole shrunken into a large cardboard box, and the two other wizards forsake their studies to help them get all of it in place. When they were done, the drawing-room and living-room looked like their names once more, in an odd contrast of influences and inspirations: the drawing-room had obviously been designed to receive guests, and even more wizard guests, with its old armchairs, mahogany coffee table and candlesticks in massive silver chandeliers. On the other side, the living-room was more Muggle: a huge, dark brown corner sofa took up most of the place. A huge TV faced it, and there was a piece of furniture locked in a corner which revealed a stack of bottles of firewhisky and white wine.

They settled there for dinner, watching one of the many movies Sirius hadn’t seen yet – to be perfectly honest, Kyoutani and Daishou were the only one who knew about them, one because he was a Muggleborn, the other because he spent so much time with Muggles that he had needed to adapt. It was, in fact, a wonder that he hadn’t needed a pair of jeans before their double-date. Once the movie ended, they realised they didn’t feel like leaving the house. Kyoutani smiled; that could only be a good sign. Despite his choice to be reasonable about Sirius’s proposal to make a collocation at the new Grimmauld, he felt deep inside that this was meant to be. Kuroo and him were soul-bonded now, and though there were rational explanations, he felt like it was only fate finding its way through two thick-headed wizards.

By the end of the week, Kyoutani had a scheduled Apparition Test to get his License and an invitation to the inaugural dinner of Grimmauld Place – along with the Potters and Draco with his son, as Astoria was still very weak. Grimmauld was mostly refurnished by now, aside from Daishou, Kuroo and Kyoutani’s rooms. Kyoutani was happy to meet again with his friends – and he was even happier when he got back home and there was an owl waiting for him, a letter attached. It was from Oikawa and Iwaizumi, asking for some news and whether they would see him the following year in NEWTs lessons or not. There was also an invitation to an Appleby Arrows match: Tooru and Hajime had both been scouted out for the team, as Chaser and Beater. Kyoutani sent back the owl, saying that he would be more than happy to come to the Quidditch match. In informed them that he would sit his OWLs at the end of the year with the fifth-years, as there was no other way to take them. He knew he still needed to learn a lot – he’d started passing his W.O.M.B.A.Ts already, but that was something completely different.


	8. Animagi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bunch of things happen.

“I passed!” Kyoutani yelled, bursting through the door at Grimmauld and making everyone jump. “I have my license!”  
“I knew you could do it!” Kuroo replied with a wide smile.  
“Congrats!” Daishou said.  
“We’re celebrating, then”, Sirius stated.

He now lived at Grimmauld, and Daishou spent most of his time there as well. As far as Kyoutani could see, they got along well. Sirius went to grab a bottle of his finest Firewhisky and served some to everyone. By the time Kuroo and Kyoutani decided to go back home, they were drunk enough to not be steady on their feet anymore – instead, they collapsed on the couch and slept there, tangled together. Kyoutani woke up with a pounding head, his eyes squinting as he opened them with difficulty. Kuroo wasn’t much better, squished under him, but he had sense enough to shoot out his arm and grab the Hungover Potion Sirius had left there for them. It cleared their heads, enough for them to realize where exactly they were and get up, straightening their clothes. They made their way to the kitchen, where Sirius and Daishou were already taking breakfast.

“You two look awful”, Daishou said.  
“I’m never sleeping on that couch again”, Kyoutani groaned. “That’s it, I’m moving in.”

Kuroo eyed him curiously, after he’d glared at his coffee which seemed to have offended him.

“You do realize I’m basically squatting your place? If you move, I’ll have to move as well.”  
“Stop acting like everything about us is normal”, Kyoutani retorted. “I did some research on soul-bonds. They run deeper into us than what you thought.” He softened his words with a smile. “A soul-bond enhances already present feelings. I’ve thought of you as a friend since day one, Tetsu. There is no reason why we shouldn’t work together.”  
“And now you’re acting all Gryffindor-like – brave and stupid”, Kuroo said. “But that’s why I like you.” He bent closer. “Let’s give it a try.”  
“My teeth will rot from all this sweetness”, Sirius moaned, but he looked delighted at the idea of sharing Grimmauld with his friends.

At seven that night, Kyoutani had moved all his stuff to his room at Grimmauld, discarded what he didn’t need anymore and changed his bed to a bigger one, where Kuroo and him would fit more easily. He wasn’t particularly sad to leave his apartment. In fact, he’d been mostly lonely before Kuroo bulled his way into his life. He couldn’t afford to get close to people, afraid that they might discover the secret of all the weird things that happened around him. His magic was now part of him, and he liked it. His life was new, and he intended to fully savour it.

*

The four of them easily settled into a routine, sharing chores and working together to find their way back into the world. By the end of July, Sirius had a place as a trainee Healer in St-Mungo, and he went there every day to work hard. He was especially focused on werewolves, what with his experience with Remus, and his budding friendship with Tooru, whose turning made it difficult to follow his team’s training regimen. Harry came by regularly to give some help in Kyoutani’s tutoring, and Kuroo was being more and more demanding – and they had to admit, sometimes it created tensions between them. Today was one of those days, and Kyoutani had holed up in his study after growling something about “not being good enough”.

Kuroo knocked lightly against the door.

“Kyou-kun? Please, open the door. I’m sorry if I’ve been too harsh, I just want you to do your best. You are the most amazing wizard I have ever seen.”  
“Do you really believe it?” Kyoutani said, peering through the crack as he opened the door.  
“I do”, Kuroo replied. “You are the one I fell in love with, after all.”  
“You’re trying to get into my pants again”, Kyoutani sighed, faking annoyance now.  
“You have to admit make-up sex is always very good”, Kuroo chuckled. “Forgive me, Kyou-kun. Please.”  
“Alright”, Kyoutani relented, opening the door, and Kuroo kissed him hungrily.

He pulled away quickly, though, and stared into his eyes.

“Do you still want to try to be an Animagus?”, he breathed against his lips.  
“Yes… What, you think I’m ready?”  
“You are”, Kuroo replied. “I think you were born to be an Animagus one day.”

Kyoutani grinned widely and pulled him down for a passionate kiss, leaving him breathless.

“Come say all those nice things a bit closer”, he whispered wickedly.  
“With great pleasure.”

*

It took another month before Kyoutani got to the final part of the complicated spell to become an Animagus. It was four days before the school-year started again, and Kyoutani had obtained a special arrangement: Kuroo and him would live at Grimmauld with Sirius, their Floo connected to one in Hogwarts itself. Kuroo would stand in as D.A.D.A. teacher for another year, while Kyoutani studied hard to take his OWLs. After that… well, they would see.

They were at Grimmauld, waiting for Kyoutani to change into his animal form for the first time. Sirius and Kuroo, being Animagus themselves – and unregistered to boot – were particularly excited. Kyoutani himself could feel his blood thrumming with exaltation.

“Here we go”, he breathed before he recited the spell.

Light engulfed him, glowing brighter and brighter, growing larger and larger, until it died out suddenly. In place of the young wizard with bleached blond hair and large dark robes, there stood an immense Caucasian Shepherd with fur sand-coloured, and two dark stripes on its ears. It stumbled a bit and shook itself, before letting out a loud, deep bark. Daishou scrunched his nose, still his eyes were gleaming.

“Dogs. What is with the three of you and dogs, uh?”

He got no answer, as Sirius had turned into his massive black dog form, and Kuroo into his black Pomeranian form. The three dogs were barking very loudly and jumping around excitedly, but Kyoutani’s size made the house tremble. Sirius jumped on Daishou, who fell back on his butt, and started to lick his face while panting happily. Daishou laughed and pushed him off, wiping his face on his sleeve.

“Padfoot, that’s disgusting!”

He got up, and smiled at his friends before he opened the door.

“Alright, out with you!” he said.

Late-night dwellers in London witnessed a strange sight that night: three dogs of different sizes running and jumping around in the streets. They came back in the early hours, as the sky began to clear and dawn to settle. Sirius, being older, was the first to clock out. Kyoutani and Kuroo, however, were too restless still to sleep. They started to kiss, passionate and messy, laughing breathlessly and sharing their impressions of the night, skins always touching. Slowly, their laughter died out, words went silent, and there was nothing but the sounds of passionate love-making – Kuroo’s high moans and Kyoutani’s ragged breaths, the sound of skin slapping against skin, until they melted into one.

“I love you”, Kyoutani breathed against his ear as Kuroo crumpled into the sheets.

They barely had time to move before they both fell asleep, settled against each other.

*

“Tooru! Hajime! Scorpius, and James, and Albus! Oh, Yachi! Asahi!” Kyoutani saluted them, hugging them tightly. “I’m so happy to see you all again!”

It didn’t take them long to settle back into their working routine, though Kyoutani’s lessons were a mix of all years together. Despite the amount of work he had, he loved spending time with his younger friends, and managed to go on dates with Kuroo. At Christmas, in lieu of present, Daishou announced his intention to move in with Sirius. The man had never looked so happy as he kissed his lover soundly. Sirius was steadily getting better as he moved forward in his Healer-training, and he was hoping to be a fully trained Healer by the end of the scholar year.

The rest of the year passed so quickly they barely registered it, and suddenly Kyoutani was sitting his OWLs, while the seven year passed their NEWTs. Then, it was time to say goodbye. Kyoutani had decided to undergo an apprentice-ship through the world and sit his NEWTs two years later. Kuroo had went through Harry Potter and entered Hit Wizard training – maybe he would take up the post of D.A.D.A. teacher, but not before he’d gotten older and more experienced. They knew it would be hard to see each other while Kyoutani travelled, but they were determined to make it work.

“After all, it’s only two years. What is it compared to the life waiting for us?” Kuroo whispered.

Kyoutani didn’t answer, and instead kissed him soundly. Kuroo pulled away and handed him a letter.

“This arrived while you were out.”  
“My results!” Kyoutani said.

He teared the letter open: E in Charms, O in Transfiguration, A in Herbology, O in D.A.D.A., E in Potions, O in Care of Magical Creatures and A in Astronomy. That made seven passing grades – seven OWLs, and very good grades. He could definitely go on with the career he’d chosen for himself.

“I knew you were good”, Kuroo said with a smile, “and I know you can be even better. I’ll be waiting for you.”


	9. Epilogue: Picking Up the Stray

“We’re home”, Kyoutani called as Daishou closed the door behind them.  
“Uncle Ken! Dad!” Regulus yelled as he stumbled down the stairs. “Look at my drawing!”  
“It’s beautiful, Reg”, Kyoutani said with a smile, swooping up the boy to kiss his forehead.  
“I made it with Uncle Tetsu”, the child grinned happily. “Papa said to distract him while he patched him up.”

Kyoutani sent a worried glance at Daishou. Had Kuroo gotten hurt _again_? He went to the drawing-room only to find his lover sitting in a large armchair with his right leg propped up. Sirius was in the other chair, reading.

“Kyou-kun”, Kuroo smiled, though a bit grey. “How was your day?”  
“Better than yours, it seems”, the young man said, walking up to him for a kiss. “What happened?”  
“I was bitten by a dog. Can you believe that? Bitten by a goddamn dog. Broke my leg and bit off a chunk of muscle. Luckily for me, Sirius was there to patch me up.”

Kyoutani sighed. Kuroo always cut their bond while he worked, so they wouldn’t get distracted – but it also meant Kyoutani didn’t know when Kuroo was in danger or injured. Not that Kyoutani didn’t have an at-risk job either – in fact, he was the one most likely to get mauled by a beast of some kind.

He opened the bond and poured some of his magic into Kuroo to help him heal faster, and Kuroo took a sharp intake of breath at the feeling. Somehow, sharing magic felt way more intimate than sex was. It was something that completely belonged to them, with them. The bond _was_ them, its gold and red melting everyday a bit more into an amazing sunset.

That done, he took off his shoes and robes, revealing his stained and ripped overalls under it. Regulus was laying on the floor between them, drawing something with his tongue pointing out. It would soon be the boy’s fourth birthday, and a party was planned for him at the Potters – their garden was bigger than the small patch of greenery in front of Grimmauld. Daishou laid down beside him, whispering to his son about his favorite beasts at the zoo.

Kyoutani cast a spell to widen Kuroo’s armchair and settled down beside him for a cuddle. He couldn’t help but worry for his lover, one of the best Hit Wizards of the century. Kuroo was careful, but his job was dangerous either way.

“So, how was your day?” Kuroo asked again as Kyoutani kissed his lips.  
“Good”, Kyoutani replied. “I got the unicorns settled, I’ll update Hagrid later.” He smiled softly. “Actually, I have some news I think you’ll like. Charlie owled, they found an unexpectedly big nest with no dragon to watch over the eggs. He asked if we could take three eggs out of six, they don’t have enough adult dragons to care for them.”  
“So there’ll be dragons, then? That’s great!”  
“We’ll have to send them back to a reserve, either in Romania or up in Scotland, once they’ll be adults, of course.”  
“Still, it’ll bring people in!”  
“Yes”, Kyoutani replied. “That’s not all, though, but… we should discuss the rest in private.”  
“I’m afraid I’m stuck there for another two hours”, Kuroo replied with a grimace.  
“It’s alright”, Kyoutani smiled. “I can wait. How was school, Reg?”  
“I made a necklace for Papa!” the child replied happily. “With wooden pearls.”

Sirius smiled softly from behind his book and pulled out said necklace from under his robes: it was made of large wooden pearls painted red and yellow.

“Wow, you did a really good necklace, Reg!” Kyoutani gasped. “It’s really beautiful.”

The boy smiled brightly. He was a Half-blood, whose parents had died tragically a few months after his birth. As Daishou and Sirius had been postulating for adoption already, they were first to see the lovely baby with vibrant blue eyes and raven black hair. They had fallen in love immediately, and two weeks later little Regulus – though his birth name had been Peter, but it reminded Sirius way too much of his traitor of a friend - was theirs. Regulus Black II was a bright sun, shining in their lives. He was cheerful, a bit rowdy and always up for a prank. Fearless, too, and Daishou often debated whether he would be Slytherin or Gryffindor, given his ways. His arrival and the happiness he brought with him had finally convinced Kuroo and Kyoutani to have a child of their own as well, now that they were getting closer and closer to their thirties.

It was a complicated matter that they had discussed at lengths, because adopting a Muggle child when they were both wizards seemed unbelievably cruel in their eyes, and wizarding children were rarely up for adoption. In the end, they had decided on a surrogate mother. Yui Michimiya was a Muggle woman in her twenties, and they had met with her several times before deciding she was the one who would bear their child. The contract was signed, and now they could only wait.

The small family ate dinner, and finally Kuroo was able to stand up long enough to go to their upstairs bedroom. He sat down on the bed and started to undress, needing to take a shower.

“So, what was it you wanted to say?”  
“Michimiya called while I was coming home.”

Kuroo perked up immediately, his eyes wide.

“And?”

Kyoutani smiled.

“Positive.”  
“Merlin”, Kuroo said, dropping the sock he’d been holding. “Merlin.”  
“We’ve got a meeting with her tomorrow at five”, Kyoutani added, “try not to get injured too badly.”  
“And here I was wondering why you weren’t angrier at me for getting injured”, Kuroo snorted. “You were just high on happiness.”  
“I’m unbelievably mad at you”, Kyoutani corrected him, “and you’d better believe I won’t let this slide without saying anything.”  
“You were bidding your time, then.”  
“Stop talking and hop into the bathtub. I’ll help you.”  
“My leg is injured, I can perfectly well shower myself.”

Kyoutani rose an eyebrow.

“Did you also hit your head? Since when do you pass an opportunity of having my hands on you?”  
“Since you edged me so much last time”, Kuroo deadpanned.

Kyoutani snickered as Kuroo made his way to the bathroom.

“You’re a Hufflepuff, you’re supposed to be nice!”  
“You’re Ravenclaw, you’re supposed to be smart!”  
“Ouch, that was harsh, Kentarou!”

Kyoutani only laughed in answer, taking his shower while Kuroo bathed. He helped him out of the tub, eyes stuck on the water dripping all over his body.

“Kyou-kun?” Kuroo asked softly, his voice slightly concerned.  
“I want you”, he said, his voice slightly hoarse, just before he picked up his lover and looked up into his golden eyes.  
“Take me then”, Kuroo breathed, bending slightly to kiss his lips.

And as Kyoutani dropped him on their bed, muscles and scars shifting as he moved over him, Kuroo thought he couldn’t dream of a better life.

“I didn’t know what I was getting into when I picked up the stray”, Kyoutani breathed, mouthing at his chest. “But I’m sure glad I did.”  
“I’m glad you did too”, Kuroo replied with a smile. “I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the end! As usual, I hope you liked it! Don't hesitate to comment and tell me what you thought, either here or on my tumblr, bittodeath!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that you liked it and that I'm dragging you down with me into this ship.


End file.
